Cadopolis Selected Feeds

Blog: We’ve Set Up Camp All Over the Social Internet …

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:05 GMT

It seems like all the buzz in the media and in the geekosphere is about social media these days. Whether people are playing some game on Facebook or yapping in a Google+ Hangout everyone is on some social media site. And here at Kung Fu Drafter, we just don’t like to be left out! Nope, we are more "life of the party" than that. Plus you can never be sure what we'll say.

The List

We’ve set up accounts all over the internet where we plant our social media flag. It’s true, we’re just all sorts of social all up in that joint. But we’ve found that some of our readers aren’t aware of all the places that we get our antics on. So here is the definitive list of our social media accounts:

Google+ (Out premiere social presence.)
Twitter
Get Glue
Google Reader
YouTube
Picasa
Tumblr
LinkedIn
Good Reads
Facebook (Our least active presence.)

We’re sure that our paths have, or will cross on the great, big, wide internet. If so, don’t hesitate to stop and say hi! And if you don’t run into us, sit still. We’ll show up on your social network soon enough …

- KFD -

Image credits: Wikimedia Commons and CleftClips.

In upFront.eZine this week: mobileCAD is bustin' out all over

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:45 GMT

In upFront.eZine this week, we have for your reading pleasure... 1. Introduction to Solid Edge and Synchronous Technology - State of Synchronous Technology - Q&A 2. Two Approaches to Mobile CAD - Geometric Glovius - IMSI/Design TurboViewer for Android 3....

Cyon Research’s 2012 Survey of Users of Engineering Software

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:53 GMT

Cyon Research has announced the opening of its annual survey of users of engineering software. It is aimed at people from companies that use CAD, CAE, BIM, IPD or PLM software. I had to look up what IPD meant. It is this. I also wonder why Cyon Research thinks CAM users are irrelevant when it [...]

Circle packing in AutoCAD: creating an Apollonian gasket using .NET

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:15 GMT

To follow on from the recent series on using hyperbolic tessellation to generate patterns that might be used for 3D printing, I decided to research a slightly different approach. While I found hyperbolic tessellation reasonably straightforward for generating 2D patterns,...

February's free ADN Plugin of the Month: Level Generator for Revit Architecture Now Available

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:00 GMT

got source?

Ever wonder how Revit add-ons work? Ever wonder what source code looks like? Of course you have, who hasn't? You can find out with the Autodesk Developer Network plugins of the month. These free nuggets of extra functionality are downloadable from Autodesk Labs and include the source code. Even if you're not a programmer, you can peruse the lines of code and get an understanding of what goes on under the hood.

This month's plugin is brought to you by China DevTech Supervisor, Joe Ye. As the plugin's name suggests, this plugin can be used to generate multiple adjacent levels with one command. It is compatible with Revit Architecture 2012.

// Download Level Generator for Revit Architecture via Autodesk Labs

In addition to the source code, the plugin comes percompiled so it's ready to use right away. It also includes a Read Me file with all the gory details. Please give this a try and let us know your thoughts at labs.plugins@autodesk.com.

Taking it up a level is alive in the lab.

SSMPropEditor 4.4.2 released

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 20:46 GMT

SSMPropEditor is a Sheet Set Manager (SSM) Properties Editor. With SSMPropEditor you can edit Sheet Properties and Sheet Custom Properties on multiple sheets belonging to AutoCAD's Sheet Set Manager (SSM) or AutoCAD Architecture's Project Navigator (PN) Sheet Set View. AutoCAD is not even needed needed to use SSMPropEditor.

Tip: Do you have a sheet set with a bunch of custom properties and another sheet set that you want them in too? SSMPropEditor will create the needed properties when using the Paste Properties button. No need to manually recreate all properties within SSM.

The upgrade is free for customers that purchased any earlier version.

Autodesk and Lenovo Technology Makeover

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:37 GMT

Three quick questions:

Do you work at small business company? It means less than 300 employees.
Is your company based in US or Canada?
And do you use outdated Autodesk software? It means version 2008 or older.

If all of the answers above it yes, then you are eligible to join Autodesk and Lenovo technology makeover contest.

Join the contest, and you can win five Lenovo ThinkStation workstation and five Autodesk suites licenses (you even can choose which suite!).

If you are interested, see the details in this Business Wire news. Or see in this AutoCAD facebook page. I think the facebook page is limited to US and Canada visitors only, I only see restricted warning :(

So go ahead. You might be the lucky one!

ACA Structural Member Styles - Part 3

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:15 GMT

First Article in the Series (Structural Member Catalog)
Previous Article in the Series (Structural Member Wizard)

Manually Created Structural Member Shapes
For those times when you want to create a Structural Member Style that does not have a standard cross-sectional shape, you will need to manually create the Structural Member Shape Definition and then add it to a Structural Member Style.

If you enjoy working from prompts on the Command: line, then you can use the
-AecsMemberShapeDefine command to do so. I find it easier to use the Style Manager, so that is the method that will be shown here. Before we dive into creating a custom Structural Member Shape Defintion, lets take a look at one, so we understand how it works. Structural Member Shapes support three levels of detail: Low Detail, Medium Detail and High Detail. Low Detail graphics can consist of lines, arcs, cirles or polylines. The image below shows the W24x76 Member Shape Definition (created from the Structural Member Catalog in Part 1 of this series) on the Design Rules tab in the Style Manager. This tab features a viewer pane that shows the cross-sectional geometry associated with this shape. Selecting Low Detail in the upper right corner highlights the Low Detail geometry in green; the Medium and High Detail geometry remains visible in the viewer, in white. A small "x" indicates the insertion point for the shape. As always, click on any image to see a full size version. If your browser replaces the current page with the image, use the Back button to return here.

Low Detail is intended for small-scale drawings, such as overall floor plans, where representing a wide-flange shape by three lines would be an appropriate level of detail.

The Medium and High Detail graphics have to be closed polylines, splines, elipses or cirlces. You can have more than one of these objects, but they cannot intersect each other, nor can they self-intersect. The Medium Detail graphics for the W24x76 Member Shape Definition consists of a single closed polyline showing the overall size and thickness of the web and flanges, and is appropriate for medium scale representations.

The High Detail graphics for the W24x76 shape also consist of a single, closed polyline, but differ from the Medium Detail graphics in that the fillets between the flanges and the web are shown. This would be appropriate for a large scale representation of the shape.

Each Structural Member Shape Definition must have Medium Detail geometry assigned. The Medium Detail geometry will be used for shapes where geometry is not specified for the Low Detail and/or High Detail conditions. For simple shapes, such as a circular column, assigning geometry to just Medium Detail may be appropriate. A square shape (with a side of 1'-0" for imperial units or 300 mm for metric units) is initially assigned when you create a new Structural Member Shape Definition, so be certain to replace that with the desired geometry. In the out-of-the-box Display Representations for Structural Members, the Structural Member Shape is used for the "Visible Comp n", "Hidden Comp n" and "Component n" Display Components, where n is an integer from 1 to 10. (Structural Members offer display control for up to 10 different components.) The Display Representation that have "Low" in the title use the Low Detail shape. The Display Representation that have "High" in the title use the High Detail shape. All others use the Medium Detail Shape. ("Logical" is a special case, which does not display any of the shapes.)

In the following example, a Structural Member Shape Definition will be created for eventual use in a Structural Member Style that will represent an architectural column cover. A simple circle will be used to represent the cover for Low Detail. In Medium Detail, two circles will be used to show the outside and inside faces of the cover. For High Detail, a closed polyline will represent the detailed profile of the cover. You will need to create the necessary geometry for your shape first, then assign it to a definition.

On the Manage ribbon tab, on the Style & Display panel, select the Style Manager tool. In the left pane of the Style Manager, expand the Architectural Objects and Structural Member Shape Definitions nodes under your current drawing and then select the Structural Member Shape Definitions node. In images below, I have selected the Filter Style Type tool (funnel icon) in the toolbar at the top of the Style Manager dialog to show only Structural Member Shape Definitions. In the right pane, right click and choose New from the context menu. Enter an appropriate name for the new definition - the example definition is called Fluted Column Cover.

In the left pane, select the name of the new definition. Select the General tab in the right pane, and add a more detailed description and, if you want, notes for this definition.

In the left pane, select the Design Rules tab. Take a look at the upper right corner, in the Shape Geometry area. The caution icons in front of the Low Detail and High Detail choices indicate that no geometry has been assigned. As mentioned above, there is already default geometry assigned to Medium Detail for the shape, and the preview window shows the default square shape.

To assign the right geometry for Medium Detail, make certain that Medium Detail is selected in the Shape Geometry area, and then select the Set From button. This will temporarily hide the Style Manager dialog, and, at the Command: line, prompt you to "Select a closed polyline, spline, ellipse, or circle for an outer ring:". Select the outermost geometry ("ring") for Medium Detail.

After selecting the outer ring, you will see the prompt "Insertion point or [Add ring/Centroid]:". Selecting an insertion point or choosing the Centroid as the insertion point will end the ring selection process. In this example, Medium Detail has a second ring, so choosing the Add ring option is appropriate. Continue to choose the Add ring option and select rings until all rings have been selected, and then select an insertion point or use the Centroid option to set the insertion point at the centroid of the selected geometry. This will bring the Style Manager dialog back on the screen, with the newly selected geometry displayed in the preview window.

If you have Low Detail and/or High Detail geometry for your shape, select the Low Detail or High Detail item in the Shape Geometry area and repeat the process of selecting the Set From button and following the prompts. Low Detail will not ask for an outer ring, just lines, arcs, circles or polylines and will not offer Centroid as an option for selecting the insertion point. Make certain that the insertion point for each detail level is the same, relative to the selected geometry. The image below shows the completed Fluted Column Cover Structural Member Shape Definition, with High Detail selected.

You can create a single-shape Structural Member Style that uses your new shape by selecting the Create Style button on the Design Rules tab. The default name for the Structural Member Style will be that of the Structural Member Shape Definition; you can edit the name if you want.

The image below shows an instance of the generated Fluted Column Cover Structural Member Style with the Masonry.Stone.Travertine.Cream Material Definition applied, in Realistic View.

CAD: January 29, 2012 Autodesk Week in Review ...

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 11:19 GMT

Autodesk General:

2012 Predictions: Autodesk on GIS and Utilities from GISCafe
2012 the Year of the Software Update from CAD-a-Blog
Applied Software Earns Autodesk MEP Specialization from PR Newswire
Autodesk ceases Windows Vista support for new products from What Revit Wants
Autodesk Ended Support for Microsoft Windows Vista, but not Windows XP for 2012 from CAD-a-Blog
Autodesk Evangelist, Lynn Allen, is Special Guest at “The Future of Design” Event from PRWeb
Autodesk Extends Invitation To Join Its Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2012 Financial Results Conference Call Thursday, February 23, 2:00 P.m. Pacific Time from The Street
Autodesk Labs: bigger and bolder than FY12 from It’s Alive In the Lab
Autodesk Manufacturing Community Invited to Vote for 2011 Inventor of the Year from Market Watch
Autodesk to Give Prizes in 'Technology Makeover' Contest from TenLinks
Frequently asked questions about communicating with Autodesk
Inventor of the Month - January 2012 from Inventor Topix
Goodbye Autodesk Resellers? from What Revit Wants
Liberty Drilling Equipment uses Autodesk / Symetri design software from Finding Petroleum
Media Development Authority of Singapore Selects Autodesk as Technology Partner for New Games Solution Centre from Market Watch
Microsoft Windows Vista Support FAQ from Revit Clinic
On This Day in 1982 – The Design Industry Changed from Between the Lines
PDC Consultants: Australia
UK's Savoy Named as Autodesk AEC Industry Partner from TenLinks

Autodesk Sustainability and BIM:

Ensuring electrical devices are "smart grid-ready" from Between the Poles
Ottawa's water and sewer rates to increase 74% over next decade from Between the Poles
Japan's aging population - 40% will be of retirement age by 2060 from Between the Poles

Autodesk University:

Autodesk University 2011 from AEC Magazine

AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT:

AutoCAD – Color Change – WHY? from CAD-a-Blog

AutoCAD and multiple products:

Three Technology Previews Come to an End (for now) from It’s Alive in the Lab

AutoCAD Architecture:

Localization (German) Hotfix for AutoCAD Architecture 2011 32bit and 64bit - AEC Manual Dimension

AutoCAD Civil 3D:

Civil 3D, Cogo points, and PICKADD from CAD Panacea
Create AutoCAD Civil 3D Parcels From Objects Video from Eric Colburn
New free technology preview of Interactive Terrain Shaping for AutoCAD Civil 3D Now Available from It’s Alive in the Lab

AutoCAD WS:

5 Ways AutoCAD WS Helps Improve Your Productivity from the AutoCAD WS Blog

Autodesk 123D Products:

Autodesk Octo-Copter Testing from Between the Lines
Autodesk releases 123D Make Web App as a Technology Preview from CAD-a-Blog
Autodesk wants you to know how to print your 123d models on your MakerBot! from MakerBot
Octo-Copter - automatic 123D Catch photographer robot? from What Revit Wants

Autodesk 3ds Max:

Free Webinar recording now live - Streamline your 3ds Max compositing workflow with After Effects from Jamie’s Jewels
Friday Distraction - A look back at 3D Studio DOS from Jamie’s Jewels
The Hurt Locker from Jamie’s Jewels
Shw mae? Any 3ds Max users in South Wales? from Jamie’s Jewels

Autodesk Cloud:

Autodesk Cloud from AEC Magazine

Autodesk ForceEffect:

Autodesk ForceEffect Version 2.0 Now Available! from BIM and Beam

Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite:

Using Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite for Transportation – Webinar from From the Ground Up

Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler:

Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler 2012 from AEC Magazine
Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler for transportation projects from GISCafe

Autodesk Inventor Products:

Autodesk Maya:

Autodesk Maya 2012 Service Pack 2
Global Symbol Evaluation from Maya Station

Autodesk Pixlr Products:

Autodesk’s Pixlr-o-matic App Has Some of The Most Amazing Photo Effects We’ve Seen [Daily Freebie] from Cult of Mac

Autodesk Revit Products:

Adding Tertiary and additional contour lines to Revit topography from What Revit Wants
Are you satisfied with Revit? from What Revit Wants
Chain Select from Inside the Factory
Formulas in Families: Setting Limits from Revit.King’s BIM Coordinator / Revit Blog
New structural content for Revit Structure is available from BIM and Beam
Revit Hardware from What Revit Wants
Revit Schedules: A Love Hate relationship from Inside the Factory
Updated Point Cloud Feature Extraction for Autodesk Revit Now Available from It’s Alive in the Lab
You want to update a revision/issue title block label globally in multiple sheet views

Autodesk Smoke:

Autodesk Smoke: Expressions - Ramping Animation from AREA
Revisiting the RED workflow, Smoke 2012 style from ProVideo Coalition

Project Vasari:

Open Source Dynamo plug-in for Vasari meets Autodesk Labs from What Revit Wants
Slingshot for Revit - connecting Revit to relational databases and Rhino from What Revit Wants

- KFD -

Image credits: Justin See and Djenan Kozic.

Announcing Videos on Demand at AUTV: Innovation Forums, General Session, Interviews, and More

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:41 GMT

Want an insider’s view of AU special events—from General Session keynotes and Innovation Forums to the Exhibit Hall? The AUTV tab is our new destination on the AU website for videos like these.

Although classes are one of the biggest draws to the AU conference, there’s always lots of other activities going on and at AUTV, you can watch these events as well as attendee interviews from locations throughout the Las Vegas conference.

It’s easy to find videos that are relevant to you. You can filter by one or more industries and event years, and sort the videos by date and title. Roll over the abstract to view the full description.

We’ll be adding more videos throughout the year. Give it a try and let us know what you think.

--sandy

Best of 5: Snack Time Snacks …

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:30 GMT

Snacks. We all munch on them. Whether you are working hard on that next set of plan sheets, gaming with your crew in your favorite MMO, or just lounging about your suede couch, we all munch on snacks. While that may be a common trait, that is about the end of the similarities because the range of things we snack on is far and wide. Sort of like us when we snack to much!

Fruit (bananas, apples, etc.) and cheese

Ah fruit, nature’s candy. Can you really ever go wrong with sliced fruit? “Would you like some cheese?” Yes, thank you. Unless it is like a kiwi or a cantaloupe. And yes we know cantaloupes are actually melons and not fruit. Either way a chunk of cheese doesn’t sound like a good idea on a cantaloupe.

Steak Bits

Probably the most fulfilling-sounding of all the snacks we had submitted. This reader said that he likes to take left-over steak and cut it into little bite. Then it is into the bowl and by the keyboard for a mid-raid or regen-ready protein power-up. Don’t forget the tiny bottle of A-1 to go with it!

Oreo Cookies and Peanut Butter

This is the product of nothing less than evil genius! Oh sure, you might be popping the tops off two double stuff Oreos and making “quadruple stuffed” Oreos, but are you adding peanut butter? We didn’t think so. Just hit this with the Blendtec and give it to us in intravenously.

Popcorn

Not only good for movies, popcorn is a favorite snack food of the young and old alike. Whether it’s plain, gourmet, or double-extra-movie theater grade “butter” there is probably a pack of popcorn in every home in America! In fact, did you know that 89.45% of all popcorn is microwaved? Neither did we until we made that number up.

Animal Crackers

This really is getting back to your childhood roots, right here. Who doesn’t have those nostalgic, childhood flashbacks to the little red box with the string handle that you munched on at recess? Do they even still sell animal crackers that way? They weren’t quite crackers and not quite cookies but they were damn good. It’s no wonder that so many people still enjoy as snacks to this day!

The Best

It’s never an easy choice to determine the best of the candidates given by our crowdsourcing sample. On the one hand, steak bits sound yummy and filling, but Oreos dipped in peanut butter is so sinful we need to go to confession for just thinking about it. Still, in the end there can only be one Best of 5, and this week the best snack is animal crackers.

We don’t know if it’s fond childhood memories, that bizarre psuedo-cookie taste, or the fact that we like biting their little heads off. And they are cheap! You can get like 20 pounds for $1! Whatever it is, it all comes together to make animal crackers the best snack food on our list. Oh who are we kidding, it’s the head biting thing.

Now that we think on it, what would happen if you dipped animal crackers in peanut butter …

- KFD -

Image credits: SvenWerk, Quinn Dombrowski, Maria, Sarah Braun, and S Diddy.

15 3D Printed Samples For $60

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:49 GMT

Browsing around the Quickparts site today I came across this page advertising a kit containing 15 SLA, SLS, FDM, PolyJet and Cast Urethene samples for $60 plus shipping. It also includes an injection molding design guide. Quickparts is a 3D Systems brand. So I asked the folks there to send me pictures of some of [...]

Autodesk and Lenovo :: Technology Makeover

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:17 GMT

Last month, I wrote an article for the CADSPEED blog describing a great program where Autodesk and Lenovo teamed up to outfit a deserving small business with new hardware, software, and training - at no cost. Yes, you read that right. FREE software, hardware, software, and training. Who? How? When? Why? Check out the article and watch the YouTube videos linked on that page.

So why am I bringing this up again? Because Autodesk and Lenovo are going to do it again! Are you a small business in need of a "Technology Makeover"? Are you running "non-current" Autodesk software? State your case from now until February 23, 2012 on the AutoCAD > Tech Makeover Contest page on Facebook. Your small business could be the next recipient of this awesome deal which includes up to five Lenovo® ThinkStation® workstations and five licenses of the Autodesk® Design Suite software of your choice. Full details and all of the contest rules are available here.

Final winners will be announced on March 22. If you would like to speak with anyone from Autodesk or Lenovo about why they are doing this, leave me a comment and I will put you in touch with the right people.

Games: The Charity Contribution that Gives Back …

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:07 GMT

We like to keep things pretty light-hearted here at Kung Fu Drafter. We talk about TV, games, and exist in a general state of fun seeking snark. In fact, we like to think of ourselves as jaunty geeks, but sometimes we have to put on our serious hats. This is one of those times.

Good People Doing Good

There are people in this world who do better things with their time than sit around blog about games, TV, and other what-not. These are people who are out to make our world a better place through the acts of their respective charities and foundations like Child’s Play and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).

Child’s Play is an organization with a simple mission, “… to improve the lives of children in hospitals around the world …” Really? Can you think of a better goal? While they may have a simple mission, their list of supporters is a complex Who’s Who of the gaming world! Since 2003, Child’s Play has raised MILLIONS of dollars and helped countless children in difficult, medical situations.

While Child’s Play is focused on a very well defined group, the EFF is an organization out to help everyone in this new digital, connected world. “When our freedoms in the networked world come under attack, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is the first line of defense.” This line from their About page really states their goal so simply. When others want to impede our digital freedoms, and thus our progress and innovation, the EFF is there to help the end user.

It’s Time to Give Back

With the immense reach of these two organizations, chances are that you, or someone you know, may have been touched by their efforts. Whether you have a loved one in the hospital who got a Nintendo DS or you’re a blogger enjoying your Fair Use rights, it’s time to help those who help us.

For the next 11 days you can purchase the Humble Bundle for Android consisting of three fantastic games with a possible fourth. These games are cross-platform and DRM free! You just pay whatever you like, with 100% of your purchase going to these two fine charities. You even get to decide what percentage goes to each!

The Games

What are the games? Oh just three little titles like Anomaly, Osmos, and Edge! How do you get the fourth title and what is it? Well if you pay more than the current average (at your time of purchase) you get World of Goo. Which, by the way, is probably the MOST fantastic of all the physics-based games you can buy. This is a puzzler that touch screens were invented for!

A Suggestion

We’d know that our readers are going to snap this deal up before it’s gone. While the offer is a “Pay what you like” special, we’d like to ask our readers to pay a minimum of $10. $2.50 per game is more than fair for the value and will get you World of Goo. When we made our purchase we made sure to give Humble Bundle a $2 tip so that organization can continue bringing us these offers and helping great organizations and developers.

1UP!

That’s it. That’s our song and dance for two worthy organizations. We hope you don’t miss this opportunity to cash in on some great Android games. We suppose you could also use them on that other OS, we forget it’s name. But either way you will be doing what you can to help some great people who do what they can for all of us …

- KFD -

Image credits: Nilis Hitze, Caitlin Monahan, Child's Play, Electronic Frontier Foundation, and 2D Boy.

Technology Makeover

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:11 GMT

My wife loves a makeover show. Me... not so much until I found this one. What brings out your inner beauty more than new hardware and software?

If you are ready to glow with the confidence that only a complete technology makeover can provide. Check out the rules and submit your plea via AutoCAD's Facebook page. I am not involved in any of this but I do recommend creative begging. That's how I got my wife, it ought to work for this contest.

Oh Where Art Thou Camera?

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00 GMT

I wrote a post in March 2008 about this, still waiting. It would be excellent if in plan we could document where a camera is placed. Sure we can create a family to document where they are but that doesn't provide the automatic view reference that other view annotation enjoys. Seems kind of un-Revity to me, you?

If you decide to create a camera annotation how do you know exactly where it is after you place the camera? Good old "right click" will help, just select the view in the Project Browser, Right Click and choose Show Camera. Make a note of where it is and drop your annotation there.

Revit Tip - Why is My Stair Only Showing "UP" Label??

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 02:16 GMT

Someone in my office could not figure out why, no matter what the view was set to, the stairs in Floor Plan view only showed the Up label. Sections were cut, stairs were redrawn, etc... Couldn't figure it out!

Well, in case you happen to run into this problem here is the reason why....

In this particular file, that check box was defaulted as "on"... Why is there no "Show Down arrow in all Views"... Is this even necessary? Anyways, just a heads up for those of you who might run into this...

Autodesk Labs: bigger and bolder than FY12

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:00 GMT

The Autodesk fiscal year runs from February 1 through January 31. So we just completed FY12 and are now in FY13. Looking at the number of new, updated, and technology previews as documented on What's New, I see that FY12 was the biggest year yet for Autodesk Labs.

If history is any indication, you can expect even more technology preview activity on Autodesk Labs this fiscal year. Normally our technology previews are related to CAD software, but Project Photofly reached out to prosumers. Thanks to the entire Autodesk Labs community for making our technology previews work. Your experience does indeed shape the future of our technology.

Getting trendy is alive in the lab.

Import Rhino 3DM File Into AutoCAD

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:21 GMT

This is one of those updated features in AutoCAD 2012 that people may not be aware of. You can Import several non-Autodesk 3D formats into AutoCAD 2012 including .3DM files from Rhino.

Command line: IMPORT
Ribbon: Insert tab > Import panel > Import
Menu: File > Import

Here are the formats The IMPORT command will import:

3D Studio (*.3ds): 3D Studio files
ACIS (*.sat): ACIS solid object files
CATIA V4 (*.model; *.session; *.exp; *.dlv3): CATIA^® V4 model, session and export files
CATIA V5 (*.CATPart; *.CATProduct): CATIA^® V5 part and assembly files
FBX files (*.fbx): Autodesk^® FBX files
IGES (*.igs; *.iges): IGES files
JT (*.jt): JT files
Metafile (*.wmf): Microsoft Windows^® Metafile
MicroStation DGN (*.dgn): MicroStation DGN files
Parasolid binary (*.x_b): Parasolid binary files
Parasolid text (*.x_t): Parasolid text files
Pro/ENGINEER (*.prt*; *.asm*): Pro/ENGINEER^® part and assembly files
Pro/ENGINEER Granite (*.g): granite files generated by Pro/ENGINEER
Pro/ENGINEER Neutral (*.neu): granite neutral files generated by Pro/ENGINEER
Rhino (*.3dm): Rhinoceros^® model files
SolidWorks (*.prt; *.sldprt; *.asm; *.sldasm): SolidWorks^® part and assembly files
STEP (*.ste; *.stp; *.step): STEP files

Dear AEC, Get #BIM or a new career. Sincerely, Present Reality

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:44 GMT

Andy Partridge is an awesome writer and really encapsulates brilliance in his works... Do get into him & XTC if you like thinking!!! Now (below the video) onto the letter...

Dear AEC,
Recently I tweeted you to get #BIM or a new career and I would like to follow up with more.

Can you see the fucking elephant in your room???

First let me say I love you.
Building realities from imagination is so natural a human pursuit.
Artists would agree.

Many of us really want to help you leave the inefficient past behind and innovate the industry to become the shining societal leaders we believe ourselves to be...

Unfortunately too many in AEC act like fat bloated politicians interested in personal standing and appearances and not the greater good.
AEC: Not enough of you see the dire straits you are in even though it's all around you.

You are acting with the ignorance similar to the commentator who said of Banksy's (hiding in plain sight) elephant:

I'm not sure what the point of having an elephant in a warehouse in downtown Los Angeles is

Jason Bentley US radio commentator
Perhaps you are just able to ignore the elephant in the room but some of us will not be so deluded and self absorbed.

Those of us who see the need to evolve and act on it will be more than happy to swoop in and take your projects more and more (as we have already started to do), so either get on the train or watch as your industry shrinks... We do not need more Architects for instance, we just need better ones... those that hold back technological evolution and betterment will find themselves in different careers... And some already are!!!

As a group your buried head is in the sand
You seem to stick with the status quo and fail to appreciate that obsolete technologies are helping kill you
Those that do see the future and to those for whom evolution is the present, we know it takes courage... courage to step outside of comfort zones and learn better processes and allow oneself to grow.

Without courage all one has is fear. If AEC doesn't act in the face of BIM fear they are doomed to ambivalent, neurotic impotence.

AEC, you must see that "continuing CAD (drafting) and not completely embracing BIM" is the elephant in your room. The elephant that you ignore (to a large degree)... and you must see how it will impact the world for generations to come... Negatively!!!
Builders of new things must see things anew and use the best tools for the overall good and CAD drafting tools are surely no longer that!!!

Your backwards, destructive ways will catch up to you... shit just look at your own fucking slideshows...

Your archaic ways of thought will splinter you into irrelevancy
Like too many of your ideas
Vision too stale to see through your egos
Driving yourself, powered by fear

I am writing to let you know that BIM can help
BIM can help you win projects
Shit BIM can help you keep projects
BIM helps production
BIM helps lessen litigation
if only you'd hear our cries: Kill CAD (drafting), fully mandate BIM.

We do not mean to kill true CAD: "Computer Aided Design"
but the CAD that most people hear when they use that term: "Computer Aided Drafting"
That's what is leading the charge in killing you, allowing the lowest common denominators to run the show... How laughable a business model that is!!!

Not able to evolve due to the fear of change and the initial investment needed to learn and grow... You have to recall that without great struggle and risk there can be no great success... you used to know that but now it appears that many in AEC are lost in an ego-drunken, fearful stupor.

Solutions do exist but are being ignored by too many in A, E & C (O too)
I don't feel you can wait
Please listen to what we say: Kill CAD (drafting)

When you're asked Why BIM?
There's an answer that sums it up nicely:

Because AEC does not want to become insurance salespeople.

Just before I go a few more morsels to think about when you contemplate your business model... (not BIM Model) -There you go #BimModelingFluffyKittenKillas strike again :-)

There are too many people who call themselves designers who are nothing more than glorified graphic illustrators.

-If a design is over budget or the budget and program is not followed to inform the design, then the "designer" is nothing more than an illustrator, without any insight to client needs or reality.

I know that "reality" is a debatable topic but I simply mean "the agreed upon business reality" Where the client is given what they want for the money that they want to spend.

Integrated firms are much more able to handle all projects efficiently, which will help save the building industry from itself: the more that teams can work efficiently, even if not integrated the better AEC will be.

Architecture positions in too many cases don't pay enough (like other Professionals get) because so many firms undercut each other in hopes of slamming extra services and printing costs onto the clients, then adding a shitload of fluff, like tons of wasted paper just to recover losses.

Bottom line:
Those firms and people who don't adopt BIM & further IPD will continue to lose work and find themselves needing new careers, so if you want to stay in AEC we will see you on the BIM train immediately.

Sincerely,
Present Reality

Windows Vista Compatability

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:26 GMT

Beginning January 1, 2012, Autodesk will have formally ceased support of the Microsoft Windows Vista Operating System for all new (and upgraded versions) of its products and services released in 2012.

Currently shipping versions and previous versions of our software (delivered prior to January 1, 2012) will continue to be supported on this operating system.

Windows XP & 7 are still supported. See the following link for more

http://autode.sk/xY3PHO

Shared Parameter Article at AEC Bytes

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00 GMT

Since I recently wrote a series of posts about them I thought I'd mention yet another source of information about them. Daniel Stine wrote an article recently for AECbytes. Check it out!

Constraining a Family to Disallow 'Invalid' Connector Sizes

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:46 GMT

Recently, I was asked how one might constrain a connector width in an instance parameter to be less than the width of solid it is hosted on. In the specific case, there are two solids, one representing the main body of the equipment, and the duct 'collar' on which the connector is hosted. The duct size must match the collar, and the collar must stay smaller than the equipment.

The formula below to control the collar size works just fine... however, when you select the family instance in the project, you can use the blue numerical control to set the connector width to something larger than the geometry... as you can see from the formulae, there is are no constraints on the actual duct connector sizes.

The problem is one of validation, not constraints/dimensions. As you can see in the revised parameters below, there are a couple of checks to make sure the duct size stays smaller than the section size. If the duct is modified to be bigger than the body, we force the collar length to 0, which Revit will not allow, and a error to the user will force them to undo the invalid setting.

How would you approach this problem?

CAD: Six Things to Keep You Busy When There’s No Work ...

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 03:55 GMT

We hear from plenty of CAD professionals every week, here at Kung Fu Drafter. From drafters just starting out to seasoned CAD managers there is one issue that comes up time and time again. “I don’t want to look like I have nothing to do. How do I stay busy when things are slow?”

The Cause

Part of this problem is completely out of the control of CAD professionals in nearly every scenario. By that we mean that it is usually beyond our privy to schedule jobs. At times we can have designed jobs queued up for months and other times everything is in construction. This leads much of the engineering and architecture world seems to suffer from the “feat of famine” syndrome.

This sort of ebb and flow is natural in many industries, however this does translate into some slow days in the drafting room. This might be fine for drafter who wants a bit of rest, but it makes it hard to be billable. That lack of billable hours can make plenty of CAD professionals nervous.

Who needs a drafter who never seems to have anything to do?

There’s No Crying In CAD

We couldn’t agree more. Who does need a drafter who never seems to have anything to do? We certainly don’t and that is why we feel it is imperative to not have “down time” in the drafting room.

How do we stay busy when there is no work to be done? It’s very simple, there is always work to be done. While it’s true that we can’t produce “paying” work out of thin air, we can all certainly stay productive. So here are our six favorite things to do on slow days:

Clean your desk or office – Come on, you know that your desk is a disaster area. Why not clean up that mess and make life easier for yourself?
Order supplies – Whether it’s paper, toner, or DVD’s there is an endless list of supplies that our offices need to keep being productive. And it never fails that we will run out when we need it most. So take time to make sure you have plenty of supplies on hand or on order.
Organize your reference library – All good CAD managers keep a library of previous plan sets. Whether they are PDF’s or hard copies take some time to make sure your set is up to date and filed properly.
Work on the block library – How many times have we been in the midst of a project, fighting the deadline, and thought “we need to make a block of that.” So why not get to it now? Use this slow time to work on your plane silhouette, dynamic blocks, or update titleblocks and logos.
Software updates and back-ups – Oh sure, you always meant to download that new Civil 3D update or install that new release of Revit, but did you? So use your slow time to update your workstations! And don’t even get us started on the state of your “back-ups.”
Training – No one, and we mean NO ONE, knows everything about any CAD program or knows every technique. Use your down time to go through the included tutorials, to watch YouTube videos, read some blogs, or read that reference manual you spent $75 on.

The End of Down Time

Download our list ...As you can see there is never a shortage of things to be done in a working drafting room. All it takes is that little push to remind us that we are responsible for keeping ourselves busy. So our last tip is exactly on how to give yourself that push: Print our list and tape it on your wall. It makes for an easy reminder, in plain view, of all the productive things that await you the next time things slow down at the office.

Not only will these tasks help you stay busy and make the bossman believe you are busy little bees, it will make your job easier! Come on, you’re getting paid to make it easier to get paid. How sweet is that? Leave us a comment and let us know what your favorite “down time” activities are. And hey, if all else fails, you could always work on that resume …

- KFD -

Image credits: Catherine, Steve Kay, and Abby Hendrickson.

Three Technology Previews Come to an End (for now)

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:00 GMT

Sometimes technology previews are temporarily put on ice.

Technology previews are available for a fixed amount of time. They are not intended as free functionality that is available forever. Here's how it normally works: An Autodesk team makes a technology preview available, collects the feedback over a given time, and then, based on the feedback, determines the next step at the end of the preview. Sometimes this involves immediately working on the technology for inclusion into a future production release of a design application or suite. Sometimes it involves temporarly putting the technology on the shelf for a while while working on other things.

On February 1, 3 technology previews ended on Autodesk Labs:

Mesh Enabler for Inventor 2011
Point Cloud Feature Extraction for AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011 and 2012
Shape Extraction for AutoCAD 2012, AutoCAD Architecture 2012, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2012, AutoCAD Plant 3D 2012, AutoCAD MEP 2012, and AutoCAD Mechanical 2012

In the case of the Mesh Enabler, the technology preview that is compatible with 2012 is still available until January 1, 2013. The Inventor team is very interested in continued feedback from Inventor 2012 users.

With regard to Point Cloud Feature Extraction and Shape Extraction, at this time we have no interest in extending these technology previews. The feedback that we would receive would not apply since our future plans would be based on another technology. The situation has changed with the acquisition of the Alice Labs, and it will take some time to integrate the Alice Labs technology into other technology previews, if we decide to do that at all.

We believe Alice Labs has the best technology for:

Viewing clouds in full density without heavy overdraw
High visualization speed
Fast access to points for interpreting algorithms
Photorealistic rendering

We will continue to work with this new technology to perhaps make technology previews available in the future. For users who have been experimenting with these technology previews, we know it’s a difficult situation, but this is why technology previews are technology previews. They are not intended for production use. Users who use them for production do so at their own risk. The expiration dates are published at the onset so everyone knows they will need to be done with their "evaluations" by the end dates. The list of users who have downloaded each technology preview will be the first people we contact if an Alice-Labs-based technology preview becomes available.

Progression is alive in the lab.

Civil 3D, Cogo points, and PICKADD

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:23 GMT

This tip came to me while working with Cogo points in Civil 3D, but it could apply to many things. A while back I had a tip about setting PICKADD to 0. Now generally, this system variable set being to 0 would annoy most people since it only allows you to select one object at a time. But if you are working with Civil 3D Cogo points, say for example dragging labels to create a dragged state, and you are doing this over and over, setting PICKADD to 0 can be a big help. Doing so means you do not have to press Escape to clear the previous selection. As soon as you pick one point, it is selected and all other selections are cleared.

Remember to turn OFF the Properties Palette when working with Cogo points. If the Properties palette is on, Civil 3D has to look up and display the properties each time a new point (or points) is selected and this slows it down tremendously. Try it both ways and see if you see a difference.

Also see this note about PICKADD if you are running version 2011 or later.

Gadgets: When It Comes to Gadgets We Like to Think Big …

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:00 GMT

If there is one thing we can all agree on, it’s our love of gadgets. But the standard, run-of-the-mill gadget won’t satiate the techno lust of the Kung Fu Drafter. No. We require gadgets on the periphery of sanity. The sort of gadget that is so insane it borders on the edge of the ridiculous!

A Plurality of Ports

So what sort of gadget gets us all worked up? Well we are starting off today with a USB charger. But not just any USB charger. This charger has multiple ports. Like 16 USB ports! Oh yeah, we said “16 USB ports”! Is that nuts or what?

But that is just what Datamation Systems’ PowerPad 16 charging unit is. It is one big block of USB charging goodness! How else could you possibly recharge 16 devices at once? Oh sure, they say it’s “designed for charging Apple devices” but that just isn’t how we swing at the dojo. We got all sorts of non-Apple plans for that bad boy

Take Note

So what could we possibly do with a 16 port USB charging station? Oh you mean besides powering our own private army of battle-bots? Well we could always plug in our new Samsung Galaxy Note! That is, if we had one. Which we do not. Unfortunately.

Who could resist 5.3” of Android smartphone goodness? This thing is a monster! Bigger than any phone on the market, smaller than any tablet. What could be better than being in a product category all to yourself? And it even comes with a capacitive stylus that fits right into the handset! Pardon us as we wipe away our drool.

Don’t Try This At Home

Oh sure, maybe a 16-port USB charging station and a 5.3” smartphone aren’t for everyone. But when we go gadget buying it’s more like big game hunting. It may not be for everyone, but it’s just how you roll when your kung fu is this strong …

- KFD -

Image credits: Major Clanger, Jessica C, Datamation Systems, and Samsung.

BIM & BEAM: Autodesk ForceEffect Version 2.0 Now Available!

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:52 GMT

BIM & BEAM: Autodesk ForceEffect Version 2.0 Now Available!
Autodesk ForceEffect is a free app available for Apple iPad and iPhone from the iTunes App Store that allows engineers including structural engineers to model and simulate concepts.

Nano Copters

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:45 GMT

I imagine this video is going viral to some degree by now. First thing I though of was how CGI and movies could harness these things to create even more realistic flight sequences like in Star Wars for example. I particularly like how the one copter can flip. I started imagining our own flying saucers one day. Or...one night, as a prank, these guys head for farm country, hook LED lights up and fly over Old MacDonald's farm and generate some UFO sightings? Cool and fun!

IMSI/Design Releases DWG Viewer For Android

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:49 GMT

IMSI/Design has announced the release of a free DWG viewer for Android called TurboViewer. The software is ad supported and can display both 2D and 3D data in a DWG file. The viewer can pull files from HTTP, FTP and DropBox as well apart from local storage. They also have a paid version called TurboViewer [...]

Inventor Of The Year 2011

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:24 GMT

Autodesk has a program called Inventor of the Month designed to recognize the achievements of its Inventor users. The winners of each month quality to win the Inventor of the Year. Last year RND Automation bagged that award. Voting has started for 2011′s Inventor of the Year award. Click here to cast your vote. You [...]

Scope Boxes

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00 GMT

Dave Baldacchino wrote a post at his blog the other day focusing some attention on these so I dug this information up.

I wrote the following documents in 2004 while I worked for Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo (WATG). It's still relevant today though some improvements in visibility control (such as using filters for managing grids instead for example) have reduced the necessity for using them, somewhat. Their facility at managing consistent views of the model for multi/many story projects probably remains the most compelling reason to use them.

Ironically I didn't focus on that in this document, I guess I took that bit for granted. What I did do is focus on their role managing the visibility of datum in views. There is a sample project file on my site. Below this first embedded document is another that is a guide to experimenting with the file.

New structural content for Revit Structure is available

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:03 GMT

Dear Revit Structure users,

We have just uploaded some new country specific, structural .rfa content and templates in the Subscription Center for you to download.

The delivery inludes content for Brazil, Russia and Spain.

The Content Pack provides structural engineers with access to additional content and families based on respective market requirements helping structural engineers to streamline the design and analysis process and access the components they need.

Please log into the Subscription Center in order to access the new content libraries.

Your feedback will be well appreciated

regards

Pawel

Revit 2012 Hangs at Splash Screen or Crashes with Unrecoverable Error - The Revit Clinic

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 03:54 GMT

Revit 2012 Hangs at Splash Screen or Crashes with Unrecoverable Error - The Revit Clinic

AutoCAD in Plain English: Getting License on Same Computer as LMTools

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 03:48 GMT

AutoCAD in Plain English: Getting License on Same Computer as LMTools: This may help you to get a license if your AutoCAD (or Revit) is on the same machine as your LMTools. C:/ Window/System32/driver/etc/hosts(open with ...

Happy NFY

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 03:33 GMT

Today is the first day of Autodesk’s fiscal year – hence the title of the post, short for Happy New Fiscal Year. Not that I know anyone in the company who actually celebrates the event, as such: many Autodeskers are...

Autodesk to cease support of Windows Vista

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 03:12 GMT

Still using Windows Vista? If you plan on using Autodesk 2013 products on Vista read this:

Microsoft Windows Vista Support FAQ by Autodesk

Currently shipping versions and previous versions of our software (delivered prior to January 1, 2012) will continue to be supported on this operating system.

Why is Autodesk ending support for Windows Vista in 2012?

Microsoft ended sales support for Vista in 2011, and will end mainstream support in 2012. Our research and customer engagement on this topic has shown that an overwhelming majority of our installed base has already moved off of this operating system. Customers looking to upgrade their hardware and operating system have indicated Microsoft Vista is not a viable option given the availability of Windows 7.

Where can I find information on Microsoft’s planned support for its Operating Systems?

You can find information on Microsoft’s Windows lifecycle (both sales and support) here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/products/lifecycle

Why are you ending support for Windows Vista when XP, an older operating system, is still supported?

Through Autodesk’s research and customer engagement, there is still a large population of customers utilizing this Operating System in their work environments. We will work with our customers in the coming 12-24 months to understand their transition plans and make a support decision about Windows XP when it is appropriate to do so.

If I upgrade my Windows Vista computer to Windows 7, will my existing 2012 licensed products still work?

If you are intending to upgrade your Operating System, it is recommended that you reinstall your Autodesk products once that upgrade is complete. Your existing product license is still a valid, but the product will need a new authorization code to work with the new operating system once installed.

If I choose to buy a new computer with Windows 7, can I reinstall my 2012 products on the new computer or will I have to buy new licenses?

Yes, you can continue to use your current Autodesk products with this new operating system. Once installed, you will have to obtain a new authorization code.

How do I migrate my older licensed Autodesk products to a Windows 7 computer? I lost the install discs and serial numbers a while ago.

Please contact the reseller or company where you originally purchased the Autodesk software for a copy of the product and your original serial number. If you are on Autodesk Subscription you can just go to the Subscription website and access the previous three versions of the product.

When will Autodesk support Windows 8?

Depending on Microsoft’s own release schedule for this new operating system, Autodesk will test its product line with Windows 8 and release a support statement when it is appropriate to do so.

Will the Autodesk software/application I recently purchased (i.e. 2012 version) work on Windows Vista even though Autodesk is ceasing support for this Operating System?

Yes, the current Autodesk product line (version 2012) will continue to be supported on Microsoft Vista. Support will cease for new versions of Autodesk products released beginning January 1, 2012.

How does this ‘ending support’ affect me and the products that I currently own (version 2012 and earlier)? I am still on Windows Vista and do not have the ability to migrate to other Windows OS.

Autodesk will continue to support you and your existing, purchased products on Windows Vista in alignment with our current product support policies.

What do I do if I run into issues with Autodesk products on Windows Vista? Who do I contact for support?

You can continue to utilize your existing Autodesk support channels for Windows Vista issues for Autodesk products/versions which have shipped prior to January 1, 2012. For new versions of Autodesk software shipping after this date, please refer to the Autodesk Discussion Forums for peer-to-peer support if you decide to install these Autodesk products on the Windows Vista operating system.

I’m running Microsoft Vista with my Autodesk Products – can I still purchase apps and plug-in’s from Autodesk Exchange beyond January 1, 2012?

If you are installing apps from Autodesk Exchange, please check with the supplier/developer of the app for system and product requirements pertaining to Microsoft Vista support for your particular Autodesk product(s).

Via Microsoft Windows 7 and Windows Vista Compatibility

CAD: February 01, 2012 SolidWorks Week in Review ...

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 02:00 GMT

SolidWorks General
CAE Drives Dutch High-Performance Auto from Design News
Cardiovascular Systems, Inc. from SolidWorks.com
Delcam plc : Delcam to launch new Delcam for SolidWorks at SolidWorks World from 4-Traders
Program Wire EDM with Delcam for SolidWorks from Modern Machine Shop

SolidWorks Sustainability
SolidWorks Offers Great Toolkit to Assess Environmental Impacts of Projects from Green Building Elements
SolidWorks Sustainability Design Software Helps in Understanding Environmental Impacts from CleanTechnica

SolidWorks Tips
5 Productive SolidWorks Tips (REV-14) from CAD / CAM

SolidWorks World
And the Winner for SolidWorks World 2012 International Intrigue Contest is.. from Boxer’s SolidWorks Blog
Free license of 3DPartFinder at SolidWorks World 2012 from Control Engineering Asia
Geometric to display automation solutions for design and machining at SolidWorks World 2012 from MCADCafe
GibbsCAM's to Present at SolidWorks World 2012 from Energy Solutions
SofTech Exhibiting ProductCenter PLM at SolidWorks World 2012 from Market Watch
SolidWorks World Keynote Speaker to Heat Things Up from Solid Smack
SURFCAM 6 to Showcase at SolidWorks World 2012 from Market Watch

- KFD -

Image credits: DSS Solidworks and Lindyi.

New free technology preview of Interactive Terrain Shaping for AutoCAD Civil 3D Now Available

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 01:00 GMT

"I'm digging in the dirt/To find the places I got hurt/Open up the places I got hurt" - Peter Gabriel

The Interactive Terrain Shaping technology preview provides users with a unique workflow for developing grading proposals in AutoCAD Civil 3D 2012. The primary goal of this effort is to provide a holistic approach to terrain shaping that allows users to go from concept to completion using the same model. The intent is to facilitate the development of comprehensive grading plans that can be revised throughout the project.

// Learn more about Interactive Terrain Shaping for AutoCAD Civil 3D on Autodesk Labs

The technology preview has capabilities for:

Work canvas
Parking lots
Berms
Swale
Ponds
Spillways
Fills (standard, bounded, and custom)
Cuts (bounded and custom)

Don't get stuck in a rut. Give this new technology preview a try and see if our belief that it is beneficial is well grounded. AutoCAD Civil 3D 2012 users can let us know of their results at labs.civil3d.terrain@autodesk.com. If everything goes according to plan, AutoCAD Map 3D 2012 users will also be able to get in on the action via a future update of the technology preview.

Getting down in the mud to avoid the hurt on geospatial projects is alive in the lab.

CADdigest finds its Twitter account; you get to find its new articles

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:53 GMT

With some 500 articles added to CADdigest.com each month from editorial sources around the CAD world, it can be hard to find the new material which we are commissioning from well-known writers and bloggers. To help solve the problem, we...

Operating Systems support change for Autodesk products

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:54 GMT

There has been an important change to our supported Operating Systems for Autodesk products. This change directly impacts the Revit family of solutions. Please see the following link for the change and important details.

Microsoft Windows Vista Support FAQ

3D Graphics Performance Improvement In ZW3D 2012

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:02 GMT

About a year and a half ago I did a series of 3D graphics performance tests on my Dell Precision M6400 and compared various CAD systems. Today as I was playing around with ZW3D 2012 (previously known as VX before VX Corp was acquired by Chinese CAD software developer ZWCAD), I came across a claim [...]

Basic Worksharing Guidelines

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:00 GMT

I wrote this document five years ago (I should revisit some of it). I posted it primarily because I wanted to play around with the Box feature to embed hosted documents after seeing it used on Jay's blog yesterday, he posted a 13 page document on organizing the project browser. I remember reading when Box added it a year or so ago and thought it was cool. I promptly forgot about it afterward. Naturally seeing it on his blog was a strong reminder!

Autodesk's Thirtieth Birthday

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 04:41 GMT

Shaan Hurley posts about Autodesk's latest milestone...time flies. I stole this picture from his post...founders "floating" in air.

Happy Birthday Autodesker's, don't eat too much cake!

Autodesk ForceEffect Version 2.0 Now Available!

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 04:06 GMT

Autodesk ForceEffect is a free app available for Apple iPad and iPhone from the iTunes App Store that allows engineers including structural engineers to model and simulate concepts.
Real time solving capabilities provide immediate feedback on the performance of a design, enabling you to bring engineering to the point of the problem.
The version 2.0 brings a set of great functionalities. One of them is ability to add a load evenly distributed along an existing element at any angle. Thanks to this you will better simulate conditions like snow on rooftops or wind loads.
Find out more on ForceEffect http://itunes.apple.com/

Still on Windows Vista and Using Autodesk software?

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 03:23 GMT

Operating Systems does not age like a fine wine and instead have an expiration date just like milk where they smell and taste bad after time.

If you are still using Windows Vista and plan to upgrade Autodesk software this year, you may want to consider upgrading your old Operating System. As of January 1st 2012 upgrades or new releases and services will no longer be supported on Windows Vista.

Read the latest on Autodesk’s Support of Windows Vista http://autode.sk/xY3PHO

Join CADD Microsystems for their February Tech Tour

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:47 GMT

Kicking off the first of many TechTour events my company hosts each year, CADD Microsystems is excited to return to the Grand Hyatt in Washington DC on February 15, 2012 to share a one day learning experience with our customers. For those who have never had the opportunity to join CADD Microsystems for one of their TechTour [...]

Mudbox: It’s Time to Throw Your Most Dangerous Mud …

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:00 GMT

Are you an aspiring or established 3D artist? Are you an artist of the highest kung fu caliber? If you answer is yes then we have a competition for you! The Mudbox Challenge – Armed and Dangerous is happening RIGHT NOW! Why aren’t you working on your submission!??!

You say you didn’t know about it? Well neither did we, but we aren’t artists. Our kung fu is more of the SpongeBob SquarePants caliber than lethal Mudbox Assassin sort. But the call is out for all you talented people to created the most dangerous, the meanest, the beefiest, best dressed and well armed characters you can imagine!

What are you working up a sweat for? Well nothing less than some spanking prizes! Come on, like we would bring you a contest that had what loot? Never! First prize includes a new NVidia Quadro 4000, a NextEngine 3D scanner, and $5,000 in cold, hard, buy your favorite bloggers something off their wish list CASH! Autodesk even has a special trial version of Mudbox that won’t expire until this competition is over. So you have no reason to not participate!

It all sounds fantastic, yes? No! Because the competition is going now! Even as your read this and wipe away $5,000 worth of drool other artists are busy working on their character models now! There are only 73 days left, so get to it and start working that character up. And be sure to leave us some links once you win!

Don’t hesitate! Don’t procrastinate! We know your character will destroy the others. Why? Because your kung fu is strong, of course …

- KFD -

Image credits: Kung Fu Drafter and Autodesk.

Updated Point Cloud Feature Extraction for Autodesk Revit Now Available

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:00 GMT

The Point Cloud Feature Extraction for Revit technology preview allows users to import point cloud data and convert it to Revit Building Information Model objects.

// Download Point Cloud Feature Extraction for Autodesk Revit from Autodesk Labs

Though many users have had success, some were getting this error message when trying to use the technology preview:

There is now a new installer that corrects this issue. Please uninstall your original technology preview, download the new one, install it, and let us know if this works for you at labs.acad.shape@autodesk.com.

Corrections are alive in the lab.

Autodesk Octo-Copter Testing

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:29 GMT

As I mentioned in a recent post (Aerial Capture of 3D Geometry), I was hoping to attend a test flight of the remote controlled Octo-Copter that captured photos that were then used to automatically generate a 3D model using Autodesk 123D Catch. Last Thursday the weather and my schedule aligned and I joined Autodesk employee Gonzalo Martinez Director of Strategic Research in San Rafael California for test flight of the 8 bladed aerial copter. The eight rotor aircraft can operate 100% autonomous based on a programmed GPS route and patterns or if you are skilled you can run in manual pilot mode.

Here is the video from this test flight:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgZLUf1TMDA

The Octo-Copter can reach 3500 meters flying by First Person View (FPV) or 1000 meters distance if flying autonomous GPS in accordance with FAA rules for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). The current payload can be up to 2 kg such as cameras sensors, and a fluffy puppy. OK there was no puppy onboard the copter, but as smooth and safe as the flight was we could have. If I weighed in under 2Kg, I would have happily climbed aboard for the flight.

During flight the Octo-Copter transmits a live video feed FPV back to a remote LCD screen or video display goggles. This allows the pilot to see what the Octo-Copter sees like a virtual onboard pilots eyes. I felt a little weird when wearing the goggles seeing the live video looking down from a few hundred meters zooming along like a bird. It was as if I had channeled my inner falcon for an out of body experience.

We had one person show up to the field we were flying from reporting that a couple people a few streets over had reported they saw a UFO or some secret police surveillance drone. We set this persons mind at ease and told him it was just a research project to capture 3D geometry of the Autodesk headquarters located across the field from us.

The possibilities for aerial 3D capture are wide from construction to historical preservation. Research is continuing on the Reality Capture whether on the ground and in the air.

Cheers,
Shaan

Revit Tip - Using Scope Boxes

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:10 GMT

Dave, over at Do U Revit posted a very nice write up about using scope boxes. I was using dependent views with crop regions for the longest time until someone introduced me to scope boxes... Now, it is your turn:

Click here to see Dave's post on Multi-Disciplinary View Coordination and Scope Boxes...

In upFront.eZine this week: about PTC's immediate future

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:45 GMT

In upFront.eZine this week, we have for your reading pleasure... 1. PTC Faces 2012 with Cuts, Reorganization 2. From the PTC Q1 Earnings Call Transcript 3. Out of the Inbox, and other regular columns. You can read all about the...

Revit and Drop Box

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:00 GMT

In the context of Revit and Worksharing (central and local files) and using Drop Box.

I wrote about an experiment using Drop Box with Revit back in June 2010. Though it technically worked, in my opinion it isn't suitable for a real project with people working concurrently. Why? Because Revit makes element borrowing so easy that someone will inevitably borrow something subtle like a tag or text or a view setting and then not be able to synchronize any of their work.

Companies like Riverbed exist, and it's taken a lot of effort at Autodesk to develop Revit Server, because data integrity (Bits and Bytes/data transfer/latency) between Central and Local files (element permissions) is not trivial. Drop Box (I really like it btw) is really just copying files from one place to many places. It does it quickly but not quick enough for concurrent activity...not all the time, every time, never fail. It does nothing to manage Revit permissions and that's what will burn you, borrowing something at the same time as another person. It comes down to what sort of gambler you are. Comfortable with losing 10,20...30 minutes works?

There is hope...IF you are extremely competent with Revit...AND...the kind of person whose pen and pencils are arranged in a very specific order on your desk and can tell if someone touched your work area in some barely perceptible way...AND...the other person(s) you are going to try this with is your twin in this way...you might be able to pull it off. Might help if you are going about it as if you are playing Halo (WoW or COD) online and communicating (via a headset) with the other person continuously as you work.

It works great to share a project file if you and your teammate are "following the sun", you start working on it when they've finished for the day. The real danger is concurrency, doing stuff at the same time and the very real risk of borrowing the same thing at the same time.

I know there are people that have done this and have had success. There are exceptions to every "rule". There is a thread at RevitForum.org and post this morning at The Revit Kid advocating it works. What I'm most concerned about is people diving into a real project and having a go, then dealing with hours of work that can't be reconciled because they weren't prepared enough for the worst.

As I wrote at the beginning, if you ignore #1, don't be upset with #2. You've been warned. Be careful out there!

Deelip.com Is A Registered Trademark

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 07:06 GMT

Today I got a letter from United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) letting me know that my trademark for “Deelip.com” has been registered. The USPTO record (Registration No. 4,083,708) mentions the mark as “providing a website featuring news, information, analysis, and commentary on the Computer Aided Design industry“. The time has come to change [...]

Video: Object Visibility Using Detail Level and Subcategories Between Views

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 06:11 GMT

In this video we will be learning how to control the visibility of a drop panel between views. We will be exploring Detail Level control as well as Subcategories.

Which Way Next?

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 06:04 GMT

For those of you who missed the announcement (or just the event itself), here’s a recording of last week’s very interesting Singularity University webcast featuring Carl Bass: If you’re interested in viewing others in the “Which Way Next?” series (there...

Using Dropbox as a Revit Server - Free!

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:51 GMT

Collaboration and BIM go hand and hand in the work force. So why should it be any different in school? The ongoing trend in college is the use of group projects. In studio this semester my class and I are working together quite a bit on a master plan. Well, in the past all of the documents were created in AutoCAD (pft, like I am going to let that happen this time around??)... Well, file sharing was simply uploading and downloading CAD files from Blackboard being careful not to over write any files you are not supposed to.

So, how do we share a Revit model without a business server??

At first I thought about using my JungleDisk drive (which I know works because it can be mapped as a network drive *I will have to post about this later*). The downfall there is that I pay for that drive and I would have to share my passwords, or create a new drive and deal with collecting money, etc...

Long story short I began to look at ways of mapping cloud services and not having to pay ANYTHING. I decided to go with Dropbox given it has a 2GB Free limited (which will be plenty for some Revit models) and I had a hunch it might work... Follow the steps below to set up a free server in which to host your central file and all of your group members can create local files (that actually synchronize with central!) on their own machines.

Make Dropbox a Server to Host Central Files:

Set up a free GMail account for you and your group members to use. You can use any free email vendor but I like all of the other stuff that GMail allows like Google Docs, Sites, etc... Why not take advantage of all of this as well?
Go to Dropbox's website and click "Download Dropbox".
Once you have installed Dropbox set up a new, free, 2GB account with the earlier created GMail account. Make sure you save the password so you can tell all of your group members (I suggest using the same password as the GMail for easy use by all members).
After Dropbox is set up on all of the group memebers computers (using the SAME email address and password) you have to move the location Dropbox defaults to.
Dropbox typically uses your documents as the location for it's folders. The problem with using this for Revit central files is that Revit likes to see the same path on all the machines in order to make a local. Therefore, simply set the Dropbox folder location (by going to "Preferences", "Advanced", and "Dropbox Location:. Click "Move" and select your Local Disk (C). The new Dropbox location should be "C:\Dropbox". **Hopefully everyone's local drive is called "C" or else this will not work**.
Now, go through the motions of created a central file that is saved in the Dropbox folder. Steve over at Revit OpEd has a nice write-up for Central File creation for those of you not familiar.

There you have it... Now you and your classmates are working on a Revit Central file just like in the office!

**Disclaimer** The speed of saving/Dropbox and the fact that it sends everything in the background can cause some lag and a few "jdoe Owns that element!". After all, it is NOT a private business network. The best cure for this lag is to work in different views as much as possible.

Good luck and God speed exploring the CLOUD!

On This Day in 1982 The Design Industry Changed

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:27 GMT

Autodesk was created on this day January 30, 1982 and would bring Computer Aided Design (CAD) down from the expensive mainframe systems to the PC with a new product named AutoCAD. Since that time CAD has grown and branched out into other CAD specialty processes like Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Digital Prototyping. Autodesk also helped pioneer design visualization growing it from the DOS based 3D Studio in the early 80s to an entire business division of media and entertainment covering not only design visualization but gaming, movie special fx, and more.

Autodesk Flying founders
”Autodesk Founders. They didn't walk on water, but they could fly pretty well.”

Here's to the next 30+ years of Autodesk, Computer Aided Design, and Visualization - and the changes it will bring the world of design!

Autodesk History Gallery

Cheers,
Shaan

iTunes Music: An App I Want

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:09 GMT

This is the part where I am hoping having a blog helps me out personally. I am attempting to use the power of crowd sourcing. I am hoping someone tells me that this app already exists.

My music collection has grown over the years. When I first got a CD player, it was a race to see how long it would take to replace all of my vinyl albums. It was a question of money, availability (Some albums were not yet out in this new format.), and taste (Did I still even like those songs?). For some artists, I can confidently say I have a complete set of their work, e.g., Todd Rundgren, Led Zeppelin, Peter Gabriel. For other artists, I think I have everything, but am not so sure, e.g., Heart. I know I don't have everything by Genesis, because I gave up on them when they went ultra-pop.

So here's the app I am looking for: What Don't I Own? It would work like this:

Fire up iTunes.
Click on a "What Don't I Own?" button.
The app returns a list of all of the albums and individual songs that I do not own by the artists in my Music Library.
The list has Buy buttons on the items linked to the iTunes Music Store.
I can sort the list by artist, most missing, or least missing.
I use the Buy buttons to complete my collections.

If the app wanted to get fancy, users could specify a threshold for artists to be included, e.g., Don't show me items for artists where I have fewer than 2 albums or 20 songs. That way I would not get bombarded with items for artists that I only have one song of because they appeared as part of some compilation album. There could also be an exclude list even though I have an existing and sizeable collection, e.g., Genesis.

So does this app exist? Let us know at thelabs@autodesk.com. I hope the answer is yes, but Googling makes it appear to be no. As an alternative, this coudl be a web service. The user could upload his iTunes XML file, and the web site could use the iTunes Store API to look up what is missing.

The willingness to buy music is alive in the lab.

CAD: Three Quotes CAD Managers can Learn From …

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:00 GMT

The week is starting and we don’t know about you, but we could sure use some inspiration. So we have collected three quotes from three giants of management theory and consultation for all you CAD managers out there. Hey, as long as you are going to be managing all week, you might as well get started on Monday!

CAD Standards

"Don't wait for perfection, praise progress. "
- Michael Wagner

Anyone who has ever tried to work on new CAD standards for their organization knows that it’s not a small job. There are data details, uniform blocks, layering hierarchies and a whole lot more to a job like that. So how can you make a hard job impossible? Well you wait until everything is perfect before you pull the trigger on your new standards. But are the standards ever really perfect?

Mr. Wagner’s quote reminds us that sometimes we are too focused on perfection and not focused enough on progress. In business, time is money and time spent making things “perfect” can have a reduced return on investment. Sometimes it is better to deploy a standard that is “in progress” than to wait forever for a standard that may never be ready.

Budgets

"Time has no meaning in itself unless we choose to give it significance. "
- Leo Buscaglia

How many times have you been working to have an architect, engineer, or designer bring redlines in to the drafter. “I need these changes made, but there is no money left in the job.” It’s a tale that we’ve all heard too many times.

What we, as CAD professionals know, is that CAD work takes as long as it takes. A job that takes 4 hours to complete does not suddenly take 3 hours because of a budget shortfall. We we should learn from Mr. Buscaglia is that we have an elastic dynamic between the significance we place on time and quality. Too much attention to one detracts from the other.

Managing Drafters into Managers

"Leaders don't create followers, they create more leaders."
- Tom Peters

Are you managing CAD drafters or are you managing CAD managers in the making? If the answer to that questions is “drafters” then maybe you should consider you’re the real merit of your management style.

Mr. Peters’ comment speaks directly to something we have control over, on a daily basis, as CAD managers. So, are we taking the opportunities to convey our experience? Are we explaining why we make the decisions we make? Or are we just spouting mandates without reason or intent? Are we helping the CAD professionals we work with to improve and broaden their skill sets so they can eventually move into CAD management positions?

Here at Kung Fu Drafter we have long believed that truly successful people help to elevate those around them. They don’t make it to a certain level and pull the ladder up behind them, preventing others from following us.

The Take Away

As CAD professionals we have the opportunity to influence our working conditions and affect the conditions of others. Without finding the inspiration to improve things we end up just being cogs in a big, boring machine. But with that inspiration, we can improve our skills, our procedures, the way others perceive us and help those around us.

We hope that our little collection of quotes inspires you to make this the week you find inspiration. And as long as you’re at it, why not spread a little inspiration around the office for others. It couldn’t hurt, right …

- KFD -

Image credits: BasketMakers, U.S. Army Engineer Research & Development Center, and Scania Group.

Virtualizing applications myths and realities

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:29 GMT

I’ve used and managed virtualized applications several years ago and at that point it worked fine with office applications and the like but not so good with CAD applications. Today I know that it works much better with CAD applications even though I don’t have any experience of it myself. I think the below is not taking GPU and CPU intensive applications into account that much but could be worth considering if your company have virtualizing in mind.

Virtualizing applications myths and realities according to two IDG Research Services studies on behalf of EMC Corporation and VMware Inc.

To learn more, visit http://emc.im/mc-apps

Back from Bangalore

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 22:49 GMT

photo credit: rednivaram via photopin cc Most readers of this blog won’t have realised (mainly because I queued up last week’s blog posts in advance of my trip) that I was in India for the whole of last week. Not...

Revit Project Browser, View & Sheet Organization & Conventions (According to Me)

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 21:25 GMT

A good project is an organized project...

3 Construction or Reference Objects We Rarely Use

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 20:43 GMT

I posted a request in AutoCAD Exchange group on LinkedIn, asking the members to share their AutoCAD tips.

Harold Reuvers shares he loves XLINE and he created a macro to create horizontal and vertical XLINE quickly. Al Popovich shares his favorite object: point.

They remind me about AutoCAD entities/objects I rarely use. I often create elevation views by projecting a floor plan, but I don’t use XLINE! I literally draw lines by clicking a point from referenced object and another point at where I want the line ends.

Let’s see these objects/entities that we can use for creating quick reference or construction.

The 3 objects

XLINE

You can activate XLINE by typing it or accessing from home tab of your ribbon. It’s on draw panel. You have to expand it before you can see this tool.

XLINE will create infinite line that you can use as reference or construction. It’s much better than if you click two points to create a reference line!

You can use it to trim objects too. And if you trim an XLINE, it will convert to a line.

This is very useful for creating elevation/section view from a floor plan. Or other drawing that’s created by referencing from other drawing.

RAY

Ray is similar with XLINE. The difference is, you define two points: start point and direction. I prefer XLINE to help me complete my task. But if you need to create several infinite lines from a point with different angles, this is the right tool for you.

POINT

Point is point. We use it to create point references. In a very crowded drawing, you may find it’s not so easy to snap to end point or intersection. You need to some quite close until you can comfortably snap to a reference. If you place points in locations you are regularly snap to, you can quickly find a point by override your object snap to node.

Bonus tip

Those tools are already very useful as they are. Let’s see some tips so you can use them more efficiently.

Macro to create horizontal/vertical XLINE quickly

We, AutoCAD users always look for faster way to work. At least less key strokes to use AutoCAD tools.

This is the original tip from Harold Reuvers.

Using AutoLISP program

You can create an AutoLISP program using this code to create horizontal XLINE only by one character:

(defun c:H ()

(command "XLINE" "H" pause)

)

Not familiar with AutoLISP? You can try to create your first one by following this tutorial. Use the code above for your program.

Using macro for CUI or tool palettes

If you prefer to use macro, you can use this code, and place it in toolbar or ribbon by modifying CUI. Or you can place it in tool palettes:

^C^C_XLINE;H;

If you want to place it in ribbon/toolbar, learn how you can create new command in CUI. And if you prefer to place it in tool palettes, read how you can do it here.

For vertical XLINE, you can change H to V. Those two types of XLINE are the most used (at least for me). But I prefer to use XZ and XX instead of V and H. They will not replace default AutoCAD alias, and close to each other.

Point style

If you are not familiar with point yet, you may think it’s useless because it’s difficult to see. You can change point style for better visibility.

Type DDPTYPE then enter.

Choose the one that you think most suitable for you.

Hint: Change point style to blank when you plot your drawing. AutoCAD will plot points as displayed on your screen.

Conclusion

There are so many AutoCAD tools. Some of them are overlooked and we never use them. It’s not really necessary to know all the tools, but it would be great if we know the tools before deciding not to use them.

Do you use tools that people rarely use? And have you used these three tools above?

Thank you to Harold Reuvers and Al Popovich for sharing the tips!

Revit Tip - Revit View Range Explained (Paul Aubin)

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 14:37 GMT

First, I would like to start by saying how cool it is that Paul F. Aubin follows the blog! (Click here if you don't know who Paul Aubin is... you should!) Anyways, he wrote a comment on my post about the silly "low wall" feature in Revit...

Paul then posted a video on his blog that many of you may find very useful:

I just commented on a post over at the Revit Kid. It reminded me about a video I had posted some time ago on the View Range feature in Revit. I went looking for the link and discovered it had gone missing. So, I decided to repost it here. The video was recorded a few releases ago, but is still relevant to today’s version of Revit. Please enjoy.

Click here to view Pau'ls post and video...

Thanks for the link back Paul!

foto of the sunday: daughter and friends launch their first commercial art gallery showing

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 11:59 GMT

Friday evening 7pm. Fort Langley BC, Canada. Our youngest daughter is one of the organizers, getting nine of her 4th-year art school friends to pitch in $60 each to host their art in a commercial art gallery for three weeks....

This Week in Pictures

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 10:11 GMT

I spent the last week in the San Francisco Bay area Autodesk offices. It is always great seeing colleagues of mine as well as the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area. Here is my quick visual story in pictures of this week captured with my mobile phone.

Nobody should ever miss an opportunity to visit Ritual Coffee Roasters in San Francisco for a great coffee and a crowd of tech heavyweights seated in the coffee shop.

Visited Hackerspace Noisebridge (http://www.noisebridge.net)
Read More: Hacker Spaces – Come Meet Your Makers

Several scenic ferry rides across the bay to get to the office. This has to be one of the best commutes ever with the scenery and being able talk with people without worrying about a car cutting you off on the congested freeway. I can never have enough middle fingers for the highway 101 commute. ;-)

The new span of the San Francisco Bay Bridge is coming along nicely.
http://baybridgeinfo.org/construction-cams

Looking out my fourth floor office window I notice I had a feathered stalker staring back at me. Apparently this seagull is known by a few Autodesk employees as “Jonathan” and sits in window ledges frequently.

See more of my images from the week:

In addition to some of the best restaurants in the world, San Francisco has high end catering trucks and unique food vendors.

On Wednesday I visited the crazy creative folks in the Instructables.com office to discuss some future projects as well as snoop around the office at their cool projects. I got to see the infamous Clap Off Bra and the 12 foot tall cardboard Trojan horse they used to try and enter the Autodesk building for the Christmas party. Check out the Trojan horse vide http://youtu.be/Hosmu-0ECBoheck out

You should check out Instructables.com to learn how to make projects varying from electronics, food, robots, crafts and even more.

The SF vertical cityscape.

On Thursday I worked from the Autodesk San Rafael offices and met up with colleague Gonzalo Martinez to test the Autodesk Octo Copter. This is a kit built 8 rotor unmanned aerial vehicle drone. With this drone we are able to capture real-time video as well a capture high resolution images to create 3D models automatically using Autodesk 123D Catch. The drone can be flown manually or programmed for autonomous flight paths. Read More: Aerial Capture of 3D Geometry

One of the funniest things to occur during flight testing was a vehicle pulled up next to us. The guy wanted to know what was flying around as some people doing some construction work had thought it was either a UFO or some secret police spy drone.

Autodesk celebrated being on the Fortune Magazine’s list of top 100 companies to work for. Nice excuse to have cake!

More sights of the Bay from walking around it in the evenings in Larkspur to seeing the fog settled in the morning around downtown San Francisco.

Friday morning I visited artist Marco Cochrane at his studio on Treasure Island. Marco creates sculptures of art displayed around the world as well as at the famous Burning Man event. http://www.marcocochrane.com/

Finally later Friday out the view of my airline window I see a fine sight, I see home.

Cheers,
Shaan

CAD: January 22, 2012 Autodesk Week in Review ...

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 08:34 GMT

Autodesk General:
Advanced Solutions’ Customers Employ BIM to Complete Ladue Education Center On Time and Under Budget from PRWeb
Applied Software Earns Autodesk Factory Specialization from AECCafe
Autodesk: A Hollywood Happy Ending for Renewables and Greentech Innovation? from GreenTechMedia
Autodesk Expands Surface Modeling Credo from Design News
Autodesk (ADSK) Given “Buy” Rating by Jefferies Group (JEF) Analysts from Localized USA
Autodesk Is All Smiles With Its Mac Software Business from All Things D
Autodesk Simulation Helps Company Create Ultimate "Go Anywhere" Craft from Market Watch
Consigli: Framingham State University Dorm
DLT to supply CAD software to DOD for $81M from Washington Technology
Jefferies Ratchets Numbers on Autodesk (ADSK) Higher After Positive Channel Checks from StreetInsider
McCarthy Building Companies: Cornell Science Building
Next Support Level for Autodesk (ADSK) is $34.39 from Financial News Network
Obama says infrastructure needs investment from Between the Poles
Photos: Software Behind ‘Best Visual Effects’ Academy Award Nominees from Time
SGBC Members’ Evening with Autodesk from Eco=Business
Stock Investors Bid Up Shares of Autodesk, Up 2.5% from Financial News Network
SuperMeet Workshops Return for the 11th Annual San Francisco SuperMeet from PRMac
Who wants a makeover? from LT Unlimited

Autodesk Sustainability:
Department of Interior to require full disclosure of hydraulic fracturing fluids on federal lands from Between the Poles
Distributech: Demand response (DR) - a business opportunity for owners of commercial buildings from Between the Poles
Distributech Utility University: Substation automation and enterprise data management from Between the Poles
Distributech Utility University: Smart grid in North America - progress in developing standards from Between the Poles
Software maker empowers ‘green’ building practices from Malaya Business Insight
UK to install 53 million smart meters for gas and electricity by 2020 from Between the Poles

AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT:
The AutoCAD CAL Command from CAD Panacea
AutoCAD for Mac launch issues following a crash from Without a Net
AutoCAD Quick Tip – Create Multileader Style with Right Click from CAD-a-Blog
Extract Features & Shapes from Point Cloud Data in AutoCAD, Civil 3D, and Revit from Between the Lines
Getting the most out of the Properties palette from LT Unlimited

AutoCAD Architecture:
Service Pack 1 Silent Installation (Nordic Version Only)

AutoCAD Civil 3D:
64-bit operating systems and Excel/Access connections from Being Civil
Analyzing HGL With Tail Water Condition from Being Civil
Extract Features & Shapes from Point Cloud Data in AutoCAD, Civil 3D, and Revit from Between the Lines

AutoCAD MEP:
Service Pack 1 Silent Installation (Nordic Version Only)

AutoCAD WS:
When Will You Start To Share? from the AutoCAD WS Blog

Autodesk 123D Catch:
Create a 3D Model of Your Head from Between the Lines

Autodesk 3ds Max:
YouTube example: 123D Catch Beta to 3ds Max to MotionBuilder from It’s Alive in the Lab
An explosive 3.5hr free tutorial from Jamie’s Jewels
Creative tiling Ideas from AREA

Autodesk Green Building Studio:
New Autodesk Green Building Studio Release from The Sustainable Design Toolbox

Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite:
Photo montages with the Infrastructure Premium Suite – Preview from From the Ground Up

Autodesk Inventor Products:
ITI TranscenData Now Offers Feature Based CAD Translation for Autodesk Inventor from MCADCafe
Macworld 2012: Autodesk Inventor Fusion for Mac Coming from MacRumors
Syncing Associative Data: Autodesk Inventor and Autodesk Inventor Publisher data from Ascent Blog

Autodesk Maya:
Autodesk Maya 2012 Service Pack 2 & Subscription Advantage Pack Service Pack 1 from Maya Station
Create a rolling fog effect using Maya from Maya Station
Creating simple fog in Maya with mental ray from Maya Station
Getting BackBurner rendering on Windows and Mac OS X simultaneously from Maya Station
Exporting Hair Geometry from Maya Station
MentalCore: Breakthrough Solution for Optimizing the Maya and mental ray Workflow from Dexigner
Updates for Maya 2012 from AREA

Autodesk Mudbox:
Mudbox Challenge - Armed and Dangerous! from AREA

Autodesk Revit Products:
Advanced Cabinet Systems Adds Revit Engineer from Woodworking Network
Autodesk Labs: Point Cloud Feature Extraction for Revit - Arc Walls Extraction from YouTube
Error: "Hardware Acceleration is Disabled. Software emulation is in use."
Extract Features & Shapes from Point Cloud Data in AutoCAD, Civil 3D, and Revit from Between the Lines
Find and view selected objects in 3D camera views using the Viewcube from What Revit Wants
Free technology preview of Point Cloud Feature Extraction for Autodesk Revit Now Available from It’s Alive in the Labs
Please Try Depends.exe to Help Us Fix the Problem from It’s Alive in the Lab
Point Cloud Feature Extraction in Revit from From the Ground Up
Real-time visualization with Lumion
Revit Schedule Survey from Revit Clinic

Autodesk Smoke:
Creating a Maya Motion Vector Pass for Autodesk Smoke from AREA
Smoke Scene from ProVideo Coalition

Autodesk Productstream and Vault Products:
Productstream Professional Update for Visual Studio 2010 Reports

Project Silverstar:
Little Dana, P.E. Does Volume Analysis and Uses Project Silverstar from BIM on the Rocks

Project Vasari:
Season 2 of Project Vasari Talk from It’s Alive in the Lab
Two New Free Addins available for Project Vasari from It’s Alive in the Lab
Updated Parametric Sliders for Project Vasari Now Available from It’s Alive in the Lab

- KFD -

Image credits: Justin See and Djenan Kozic.

An AutoCAD Hip Tip on Speeding up the Break Command

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:04 GMT

2012 is off and running and so is Autodesk! So many exciting things going on - I think 2012 is going to be a great year.

I thought I'd kick off the weekend with a handy AutoCAD tip!

An AutoCAD Hip Tip on the Break Command

We often use the BREAK command to karate chop an object (break it in the same spot twice). The AutoCAD ribbon takes an extra step to do this (and we hate extra steps - don't we?). Check out my video that shows you the super speedy means of doing this as well as how to add this handy tool to the ribbon!

Note: If you have your OSNAPS on - you could get a gap. Be sure to turn your OSNAPS off to get this to work properly! (should have mentioned this in the video)

This tool allows you to select the object to break at the exact location you also want to break it at - saving you an extra step (and those extra steps all add up - don't they?).

So go ahead and try it - and kill two birds with one stone. (come to think of it - that is really a terrible phrase! Poor birds!).

Enjoy your weekend...

Occupancy Data Application

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 07:00 GMT

I've written about the workaround solution for documenting occupancy information in room tags in the past. I've even shared a sample project file based on the work I did for Scott Davis' past firm WLC Architects in 2005 (before he joined Autodesk). Until the API came along we were faced with a semi-inelegant solution that involved manual data entry and checking before plot day. Even after the API nobody really addressed this issue directly, till now...

Rahul Shah (blog: Revit Sticky Notes) works for Wood Bagot in the UK. He responded to a query at AUGI with a promise to write an application to push a calculated value to make Occupancy information taggable. He posted his solution today on his BLOG.

His written instructions on the blog post are:

NOTE: In order to use this plugin you will have to add "Occupancy Load Factor (as area type)" and "Occupancy Load (as integer type)" shared parameters to your project file and assign them to Room object as Instance. Also, calculated occupany load value is not dynamically linked with other values so if you change room size or occupany load factor then you will have to rerun this tool to update occupancy load value. Please read the Readme.txt file contained in the zip file for more information.

You can DOWNLOAD IT NOW!

Tekla's BIMsight 1.4 Released

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 06:00 GMT

I've not mentioned subsequent updates for this IFC based model viewer since my original post when it first became available. I received an email the other day letting me know that they released version 1.4.

This release includes enhanced presentation tools and they are really pleased to provide a new dedicated UI for Windows tablets! That should help focus effort on field applications?

A day late and dollar short, they ran two webinars yesterday...should have mentioned this sooner, sorry!

If you'd like to check out some images, CLICK HERE.
Want to read their PRESS Release?

Parameter Grouping

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:00 GMT

Consistency, CONSISTENCY, consistency...

This post is the result of noticing that families that were using a specific group for some parameters were not showing up in the correct group once they were added to a project.

When you create content the names you use for parameters is one thing to worry about. The Group you assign them to is yet another. We don't get much control over how we present parameters to our users, but Groups are one thing we do get some say about. We can even change them without starting over, compared with getting the parameter name or data type wrong.

If you'd like all your content to show the same grouping you'd better be consistent. Then again even if you are you may not get your way though. I should explain myself now?

Here's a parameter called "Mounting Elevation". It's neatly tucked away in the "Construction" group.

Curious about why I'm using Mounting Elevation when you can clearly see Default Elevation just above it? I can't tag something with the Default Elevation parameter (Data Devices in this situation), it's not among the parameters available in a tag family. I'm using a shared parameter for Mounting Elevation and "connecting the dots" with a formula that is equal to Default Elevation.

I loaded it into a project and all is well. A bit later I notice this. The parameter has wandered into a new group called "Dimensions". Hmmm...

I went back to the beginning, just like Vezzini told Inigo he should. I started with a blank project template and a single family. I added a shared parameter for "Mounting Height" and assigned it to the "Construction" group. Parameter showed up as expected. I went back to the family and tried to change the group to something else. Loaded back into the project, no respect...parameter still located under "Construction". Apparently once the project captured the group, it stuck, even if I change it in the family and reload it.

Next I tried adding a second family that used the same shared parameter but assigned to a different group, no change. Still assigned to the original group. Hmmm... So how did the parameter move?? I started to think that maybe I assigned the parameter to the other group originally and later decided to use "Construction" instead. That was so hours ago, don't really remember now. Just not sure anymore.

Let's mix it up a little with Project Parameters. When you use a shared parameter in your family Revit is kind enough to make them available in schedules without doing anything extra (except for titleblock families, they are a special case). I thought I'd try adding the same parameter to the project and assign it to the group I really wanted. Aaah... the parameter moved to the group I wanted!

If I edit the Project Parameter and change it again it moves to the new group. Well that's consistent at least.

Fire Protection probably isn't the best group to use though eh? My lesson learned from this fun is to think a bit harder about the groups I want to use earlier and to be really sure I'm happy with the setup before putting it in a real project. If I don't I'll either have to live with it or just add the parameter to the project too (which isn't really a hardship even if it isn't technically necessary).

Becoming my own Jessica Hagy

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 01:00 GMT

One of my favorite blogs is called indexed:

http://indexed.blogspot.com/

Indexed author, Jessica Hagy, displays thought provoking ideas on index cards. One of the tenets of Autodesk Labs is visual thinking. So many of the Autodesk Labs developers also like the site. I had a thought the other day that I thought could be expressed in Jessica Hagy style.

As we unveil new technologies via Autodesk Research and Autodesk Labs, I also realize:

Diagramming is alive in the lab.

Speak French?

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:14 GMT

Hear what industry experts are saying about BIM and Autodesk solutions with this blog hosted by Autodesk BIM Community members in France.

Hacker Spaces Come Meet Your Makers

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:17 GMT

This week I had the opportunity to visit the Noisebridge Hacker Space in San Francisco with an Autodesk colleague Gregory Miller and Alex Peake. Alex is on Kickstarter with a game project named Code Hero where you not only learn about pioneers and computer science heros such as Charles Babbage, Ada Lovelace, and Alan Turing but learn how to code in the process of the game. It is nice to see not another mind numbing zombie killing game, but one where you learn some programming languages such as JavaScript and Unity3D, and exercise your problem solving skills.

Don’t let the name “Hacker Space” scare you. A Hacker Space is not a group of people sitting around hacking into your online accounts, but a group of people young and old who work on projects from a wide array of things such as computers and electronics to building robots, lasers, rocketry, and wood working.

I love seeing Maker spaces where creativity and making things is the main purpose of people gathering in a common space. In this visit to Noisebridge I saw some young children about 10-12 printing some 3D plastic designs on some of the available MakerBot printers, a teenager writing a program that takes the electrical signals from a special head band to drive a terrain game engine, some high school students working on a robot for the FIRST Robotics competitions, some people sewing a project, another group working on some wood working, and several others all on a Sunday afternoon. What a cool and creative space to learn, build, and share with others.

Some members of Noisebridge also had a great sense of humor with their signs on everything everywhere!

There are Hacker Spaces all over the world and other Maker spaces like TechShop spreading to fill the needs of those that are not satisfied with just running down to the store to buy a alarm clock and instead get an open-source Arduino microcontroller circuit board and a bunch of LEDs and then begin to build and program their own alarm clock. Not only do they end up with a one of a kind alarm clock but the special knowledge after having built it themselves. I would strongly urge you to look into a Hacker Space or other Maker related space as there are most likely groups in your town where you can participate and contribute building your own projects or mentoring others members.. Even if the maker movement is not for you, I bet you know someone that has an idea just dying to get out of their head and build it themselves.

Here are some online resources on spaces:
http://hackerspaces.org/wiki/Hackerspaces
http://www.techshop.com/

I would also encourage you to attend MakerFaire as that is one mind blowing experience with tens of thousands of Makers gathered in one location to show of their creations.

Cheers,
Shaan

ACA Structural Member Styles - Part 2

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:41 GMT

First Article in the Series (Structural Member Catalog)

Structural Member Wizard
Sometimes you need a Structural Member Style for a standard shape which is not in the Structural Member Catalog. Or perhaps it is early in the design process, and you have an approximate size for a steel shape, but not an exact size. Rather than pick an exact section, you would like to create a generic member as a placeholder until the structural design is finalized. For these cases, the Structural Member Wizard can speed the creation of the necessary Structural Member Shape Definitions and Structural Member Styles. Access the the Structural Member Wizard on the Manage ribbon tab, by selecting the title of the Style & Display panel to expand the panel and choose the Structural Member Wizard tool on the flyout.

The Structural Member Style Wizard dialog has three "pages". On the first page, you select the Member Shape, from a list of standard shapes in three categories: Concrete, Steel and Wood.

The left pane of the dialog shows a schematic sketch of the standard shape selected, and indicates the dimensions over which you will have control. The illustrations that follow are based on the Steel, Wide Flange (I) shape, but all work in a similar manner.

With the desired member shape selected, select the Next button to advance to the second page, where you will enter the dimensions that will be applied to the Member Shape to be generated.

Most of the values will be shown on the sketch in the left pane; any that are not, such as E - Weld Radius, should be evident from the description. In this case, the Weld Radius is the radius of the fillets between the web and flange. When the values are set as desired, select the Next button to move on to the third page.

On the third page, you specify a name for the Structural Member Shape Definition and Structural Member Style to be created. The page also gives you a summary of the shape type and associated parameters, with the values you entered. Review these to verify that they are correct. You can use the Back button to return to either of the previous screens and make any changes, if needed. When you are satisfied that all values are correct, select the Finish button on the third page to generate the definition and style.

You can check what was created by opening the Style Manager (on the Manage ribbon tab, on the Style & Display panel, select the Style Manager tool). Under the current drawing in the left pane, expand the Architectural Objects node, and then expand both the Structural Member Shape Definition and Structural Member Styles nodes. You will find that a shape definition and a style using that shape definition have been created using the name you specified and the Member Shape selected and the geometric information entered in the dialog.

Scripting the generation of hyperbolic tessellations inside AutoCAD

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:23 GMT

To follow on from this recent topic, today’s post looks at a simple script to generate various hyperbolic tessellations, laying them out in an order that makes some sense of the progressive nature of the patterns that can be generated...

The AutoCAD CAL Command

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:28 GMT

Do you ever use the transparent 'CAL command? It is probably one of those commands that you know, but use so infrequently that you forget about it. So why bother? How can it help? Here are some examples. Oh yeah, I'm not talking about the QuickCalc that runs in a palette - this post is strictly referring to the command line 'CAL command.

Example 1: Use it as a plain old calculator. At the command line, type ._CAL and enter an expression like 32/7 which will return 4.57142857. Okay, that was pretty easy and you didn't have to leave AutoCAD.

Watch Opening Night of the AU Leadership Forum

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:48 GMT

If you missed the AU Leadership Forum (AULF) this year, now is your chance to catch the opening night presentation attended by executives from more than 30 countries including Peru, Argentina, Mexico, South Africa, and various European and Asia-Pacific nations. Over 500 technology leaders met to discuss the future of design technology and the direction of Autodesk products, and to create new alliances.

The opening night presentation featured Rich Uphus, AULF Program Manager, as well as Joseph Joseph, Managing Director, BIM/CAD/Technologies at SAIC, who was instrumental in helping the AULF team develop this event.

The AU Leadership Forum was a tremendous success and plans are in the works for a similar event in 2012.

--sandy

A 3D Printer In Every Home

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 07:25 GMT

The other day someone asked me, “So now 3D printers will start showing up in every home, right?” I replied with a question, “What makes you say that?“. The reply I got wasn’t something that I hadn’t heard before. “Well, every home has a 2D printer and the cost of 3D printers are going down“. [...]

YouTube example: 123D Catch Beta to 3ds Max to MotionBuilder

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:25 GMT

This is just plain fun.

8 seconds of fun are alive in the lab.

New Family Browser Product

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:00 GMT

CAD Technology Center is offering a new product called BIM List. They've provided several videos to help get acquainted with the application.

Quickly Locate and Insert Families

Advanced Search Functionality

Administrative Controls

Up to Date Content

Easy Setup

I've embedded the first video here.

Uh oh, now I'll toss out a little of the opinion part of my blog...(a reader once told me that I don't really offer opinions enough)

The product image uses the phrase/name Family Browser which happens to be the chosen name for another company's product (Kiwi Codes Solutions). Sorry, the sales team probably would rather I not bring that up? It's the first thing that came to mind though...(pink elephant in the room? I see it!). I know the words Family Browser have some instant recognition/association because of Project Browser (at least for Revit users) so I understand the attractiveness to do so. I'd have tried hard to steer clear of sharing it with another product though. My first thought was "Family Manager" instead. As it stands now, the first "roadblock" is, "Is that the one from New Zealand?".

After watching their videos, my initial reaction is that BIM List appears to be a bit "heavier" than KiwiCodes approach, thus the "Family Manager" name I mentioned before. To me, judging by "covers alone", the Kiwi Family Browser is less complicated or intimidating looking (I've used it a fair bit, but don't own either) as well as a pretty easy experience overall.

The search dialog portion (of BIM List) had me wondering if scanning those lists of fields/data is any less daunting than scrolling for loaded families anyway. My sense is that it will appeal to a different sort of user or Revit manager than those who are already using Kiwi Codes app. The price certainly seems pretty easy to cope with.

Then again, I've not used it (BIM List). If I had more time I'd consider a comparison post between the Family Browsers. Maybe someone will pick up the "review" ball and run with it?! Having some options/choices to help cope with content isn't a bad thing though is it?

Happy "browsing"!

P.S. I'm still mystified why Autodesk doesn't resolve this within Revit itself???
P.S.S. I don't benefit financially or otherwise from either product or company.

Please Try Depends.exe to Help Us Fix the Problem

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 01:00 GMT

The Point Cloud Feature Extraction for Revit technology preview allows users to import point cloud data and convert it to Revit Building Information Model objects.

// Learn more about Point Cloud Feature Extraction for Autodesk Revit on Autodesk Labs

Though many users have had success, some are getting this error message when trying to use the technology preview:

If you are experiencing this problem, you could help us out by running a tool called Dependency Walker on your system. This tool will not alter any of your system's files. All it will do is create a list of what is missing on your system that the technology preview is expecting to find. The steps to help us out are:

Download and install the Dependency Walker tool.
Run depends.exe and open C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Feature Extraction for Autodesk Revit 2012\FeatureExtractionForRevitApp.dll
Email a screen shot of the display to labs.acad.shape@autodesk.com along with a note about your operating system (e.g.,Windows 7 64-bit), which version of Revit you have (e.g. Update 2), and how Revit was installed on your system (e.g., standalone, as part of Building Design Suite Ultimate).

Thanks for your assistance. Much like Anne Elk's Theory on Brontosauruses, user Aaron Maller and I have a theory: The technology preview does not work with installations of Revit that were done via deployments (instead of standalone) or as part of a suite. Addressing problems such as these with hundreds of users instead of millions is what technology previews are all about.

Debugging is alive in the lab.

Extract Features Shapes from Point Cloud Data in AutoCAD, Civil 3D, and Revit

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:10 GMT

If you have or receive point cloud data I wanted to point out Autodesk Labs currently has some preview technologies to convert the point cloud data into geometry and features in some Autodesk products. These preview technologies hosted on Autodesk Labs are free to use with the only purpose and request for posting them is we want your feedback.

Shape Extraction for AutoCAD - Convert point clouds to real geometry.

Point Cloud Feature Extraction for Civil 3D - Intelligently map point cloud data to civil objects.

Point Cloud Feature Extraction for Autodesk Revit 2012 - Easily go from point clouds to Revit.

Cheers,
Shaan

Point Cloud Feature Extraction

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:00 GMT

When I first saw this show up in the Labs blog post it was called "Scan to Bim". I wondered about the name conflict with the application already using that name, created by the folks at IMAGINiT. I thought at first maybe that Autodesk bought it. However barely a day later and it's called Point Cloud Feature Extraction.

WHAT TOOLS DOES POINT CLOUD FEATURE EXTRACTION PLUG-IN FOR REVIT PROVIDE?

Point Cloud Feature Extraction for Autodesk Revit 2012 provides the following tools to facilitate the point cloud editing after it is inserted into Revit:

Crop/Uncrop:

Hide Point Cloud:

Adjust Axis:

Moreover, this plug-in includes some main features specifically for Revit so that the extracted features / geometry can be smoothly integrated into the BIM workflow:

Datum Extraction:

Site Extraction:

Wall Extraction:

Floor Extraction:

AVAILABILITY

The Point Cloud Feature Extraction for Autodesk Revit technology preview is licensed for a limited term and for a particular territory as referenced in the End User License Agreement. The technology preview will operate until August 1, 2012.

Want to watch some videos? (links to You Tube)

Crop and Uncrop

Axis Adjustment

Datum Extraction

Site/Building Footprint Extraction

Wall Extraction

Floor Extraction

Arc Wall Extraction

They'd like your feedback

See how well the Point Cloud Feature Extraction for Autodesk Revit technology preview works for you, and be sure to tell us how we can improve this technology by following the feedback links in the upper-right corner of this page. You can also post comments on the Between the Lines or It's Alive in the Lab blog.

Vasari Talk Today

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 03:28 GMT

Another installment of Vasari Talk will begin today at 11:30 AM (EST). If you want to learn more about panels and reporting parameters from Zach be sure to register and attend (it's virtual).

Since I'm mentioning Vasari, there are two new offerings at the "Labs" for it.

Automatically Update Export for Solar Radiation
Dynamo for Vasari

Real Time Visualization Software and Revit

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 02:29 GMT

Luke had a post recently about Lumion so i figured I would respond with my own post instead of simply in his comments...

I have been testing out Lumion, Stadia3D, Artlantis, and Twinmotion for the last month or so and they all have their pros and cons in my opinion. Lumion and Twinmotion take a bit of work to get a Revit model into. Once the model is in the programs it takes even more work converting their materials to the software. **Disclaimer** I have not been able to try the absolute latest Lumion exporter for Revit **

Artlantis is a tad bit easier with a direct plug-in exporter from Revit. It carries the materials through so you can just select the Revit material and update it to the software's materials.

Stadia3D is by far the easiest connection with Revit. What ever you see when you render in Revit is practically what you see in Stadia. It requires a tiny add-in to be installed and the rest is done in the cloud. The quality of your video card is the only limit with the quality of the renderings...

I plan on using a variety of the aforementioned software's this upcoming semester and hopefully return to you all with some more in-depth analysis and results.

Have any of you had experiences with these pieces of software? Am I missing one or two other? Comment below!

Two New Free Addins available for Project Vasari

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:00 GMT

On the heels of the update of the Parametric Sliders add-in for Project Vasari, the team has provided two additional add-ins:

Automatically Update Export for Solar Radiation

This WIP adds a check box to the Ecotect Solar Radiation tool to allow automatic update of an exported .csv file when analysis results are updated.

// Download

// Wiki help

Dynamo for Vasari

Build parametric functionality on top of Vasari with a graphical user interface. Autodesk has extended the open source effort of Ian Keough by adding some additional nodes and packaging it in an installer for Vasari to make it easier to get up and running. We have also provided some sample workflows.

// Download

// Wiki help

This brings the total number of add-ins to 4. Please try these out and provide your feedback to labs.vasari@autodesk.com or the discussion forum. For more information on Project Vasari, please see the Autodesk Labs site:

// Project Vasari on Autodesk Labs

Addition is alive in the lab.

3D Systems 3DTouch Vs MakerBot Replicator

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:10 GMT

The 3D Systems blog is a typical corporate blog which serves to give out information in a formal and peaceful manner. At least that’s what I thought until I read this post titled “3DTouch Prints ‘Bigger’“. Looks like the folks at Marketing have decided to go hammer and tongs after Makerbot’s Replicator. And I’m beginning [...]

Chris Price & Xrev - Consulting

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:16 GMT

Hello All,

I thought I'd let my readers know that I am now consulting my services in the Revit Architecture, Structure, Navisworks, BIM space. (commencing 13th February 2012)

If you require Revit Implementation, in-house Revit Training, Revit Training Classes, Revit Management, On Project Revit Support, Revit Start-up Assistance, upskilling intermediate & advanced Revit users, Revit Collaboration, IPD and everything Building Information Modelling.

Please don't hesitate to email me at Support at Xrev dot com dot au. I can supply you with my costing and schedule availability!

I have experience with:

Multi-discipline collaboration
Revit Asset Management
Revit Facilities Management
Revit Digital Fabrication (laser cutting, CNC, etc)
4D Sequencing
Extracting Quantities & Weights from the model
Various Energy Analysis
Cost Estimation from the model
Clash Detection
BIM Specifications
Integrated Project Delivery
Training large groups/presenting

Generating hyperbolic tessellations inside AutoCAD using .NET

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:13 GMT

Following on from the post introducing this series, and the last post focused on generating simple hyperbolic geometry, this post looks at generating hyperbolic tessellations inside AutoCAD. Having “borrowed” some C++ code, last time, today we’re going to borrow some...

Point Cloud Extraction for Revit

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:58 GMT

Check out the new Point Cloud Extraction for Revit tools.

http://www.appliedsoftwareblog.blogspot.com/

Create a 3D Model of Your Head

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:25 GMT

I wanted to show how anyone can create a 3D model of themselves or a person they know using a digital camera, free Autodesk software, and a 3D printer.

Here is an example of my two Autodesk colleagues Brian Mathews and Scott Sheppard as 3D printed miniature heads- about the size of Barbie doll heads. I could have printed the heads much larger, but that also increases the creepiness factor of carrying around a rather large plastic head of a coworker.

Here are Scott & Brian with their mini 3D printed heads.

How I did it:

With the person holding very still and me walking around them, I took about 40 photos of their head. I then used the free Autodesk 123D Catch where you use photos to automatically generate a 3D model. When I was satisfied with the results, I exported an .OBJ file to use as the raw 3D model I wanted to use for 3D printed plastic heads.

Here are the screen captures from 123D Catch of the texture and wireframe mesh models of both Brian and Scott.

I then cleaned mesh model for 3D printing by opening the .OBJ file in the free Autodesk meshmixer. Meshmixer allowed me to fill and zipper holes, smooth areas, and reduce or refine the mesh areas as well as remove portions of the mesh. I can also paint with volume brushes to create more detail or even add other OBJ content to add say a pair of horns to a persons head just in case you intend to mount it on the wall. When I am done I export the file as .STL ready for printing.

Now using the .STL file I can print the head in ABS plastic on a 3D printer like a Makerbot or using an online 3D printing service like Shapeways.com. You could also import the .STL file into Autodesk 123D Make and slice up the model into layers which can create a pattern to construct a 3D model out of cardboard.

Scott’s head being printed on a MakerBot.

You can even import the .STL file Project Falcon to see how fluids would flow around your cranium using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis.

I hope you will give this fun experiment a try as it is not only fun but a real conversation starter when you have a recognizable coworkers head or your own on your desk, or in your pocket. Of course there are more practical objects you could capture and 3D print using the same methods such as statues, architecture, and even geology such as the mountain I 3D printed from a Autodesk 123D Catch created 3D model.

Cheers,
Shaan

Scheduling a Survey

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:24 GMT

Please respond to the new survey regarding schedules for Revit if you have any notion that they could be better.

David Conant wrote something that appeared on Inside the Factory today called, "Revit Schedules, A Love Hate Relationship". He also wrote the following text at the user forums Revitforum.org and AUGI.

To ensure that Revit can meet current needs and has the capacity for future ones, the Revit team periodically revisits basic features. We are currently gathering information about schedules and similar data reports. This is part of an effort to understand the full range of needs you, the users, have both for the data you want to present and how you want to present it.

If you are willing to help us, please use the link below. It leads to a short survey recording basic demographic and usage information and a link to share samples of your work. I know that many of you have expressed your needs here and in other forums so this may seem redundant. We follow those discussions closely. The survey method is very helpful to us as it provides information in an organized and analyzable form. All work collected will be used by Autodesk for internal research only and will never be shared without your permission. ~ Thanks in advance for your help.

CLICK TO RESPOND to the SURVEY

From France, it's iPocketDraw, now with DXF editing

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:02 GMT

It's not just the Big Boys who are CAD viewings and editors for portable Android and iOS devices. Eric Pousse has been writing CAD programs for handheld devices for years now, and just last week he emailed me that a...

Autodesk, Dassault Systemes And Cloud Computing

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:58 GMT

Today as I was listening to the presentations at Autodesk DevDays explaining Autodesk’s product development strategy, not just for the immediate future, but long term as well, it became quite clear to me that Autodesk is a company that truly gets it, as far as cloud computing is concerned. Another company that I think gets [...]

Autodesk DevDays In Bangalore

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 03:48 GMT

Today I attended the Autodesk DevDays event in Bangalore. DevDays is a series of events across the world that Autodesk holds once a year where they invite members of the ADN (Autodesk Developer Network) and show them the new stuff in the upcoming releases. Under NDA of course. ;-) The whole idea of doing so [...]

SAuBIM - Code Calculations for Revit - On Sale!

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:59 GMT

In honor of the semester starting again SAuBIM is on sale for 30% off starting today and ending in one month...

Click here to get the software now for less than 14 dollars!

Set default system variables in acaddoc.lsp

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 01:37 GMT

We covered about acaddoc.lsp in AutoLISP tutorial. Acaddoc.lsp will execute commands defined in it, every time AutoCAD open a file.

What can we do with acaddoc.lsp?

Now if you know you can run commands automatically when you open a file, what would you do?

You can load AutoLISP file automatically.
You can define new command. In the tutorial, we redefine PLOT command to update datalink before AutoCAD starts to plot.
You can run commands before you start working with your file.
You can set system variable before you start working.

In this article, we are going to focus to the last one. I found that there are many users confused why their AutoCAD doesn’t work as usual. And they become regular questions. These are some samples of changed system variables.

Common unexpected system variables change

These are several common system variables that change regularly.

File dialog box is missing. You have to type file path and file name from command line. It’s because FILEDIA system variable has changed.
AutoCAD default noun-verb selection becomes verb-noun selection. It’s because PICKFIRST system variable has changed.
Single document interface is activated. It’s controlled by SDI system variable.
And more…

There is a debate why they changed. Most people think that it was because routines in AutoLISP or other 3rd party applications. I used to be agree with it, until I saw this problem also happens in AutoCAD LT. So it remains a mystery to me.

We can force to set the variables in acaddoc.lsp

Harold Reuvers reminds me that we can set those variables in acaddoc.lsp. I prefer to backup my system variables and restore them when I have problem. We can’t remember all the variables, right?

However, if you have specific system variable that changes often, this is a good solution.

All you need is to create an acaddoc.lsp using notepad or visual LISP editor.

Just type these code:

(SETVAR "PICKFIRST" 1)

Feel free to add more lines or change system variables and values as you preferred.

If you want to learn how to use Visual LISP editor, see this basic AutoLISP tutorial.

What system variables do you find change often?

Do you find system variables in your AutoCAD change often? What are they?

Revit Tip - Short Wall Not Cutting

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00 GMT

This was an interesting bug (or is it a bug) that was discovered while I helped a colleague on a project. The building had a condition in which each classroom had a 4'-0" tall wall. We wanted to show new walls with a poche (solid) fill. The cut planes for the view were set to 3'-6"... The wall properties were set to the Top Constraint being "Unconnected" and the height was set at 4'-0". The wall WOULD NOT show as cut and poche'd. Well, upon further investigation it appears walls act funny with cut planes...

In the image above the cut plane for this view is set to 3'-6". The Walls on the left are set to "Unconnected" and their respective heights are underneath. The walls on the right have a top constrain of "Level 2" which is set at 10'-0". The walls on the right are then negatively offset.

Notice that the walls to the left, even though the cut plan is set at 3'-6" will not show as cut until they are at least 6'-0" tall! While the walls on the left are the exact same height but are shown as cut because of their top constraints...

Weird?? I think so.